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BLUEPRINT
FOR THE FUTURE
Campus Building
Boom Continues
BEST IN CLASS
Education Program
Wins National Honor
Fall
2007
T h e Mag a z i n e o f We s t e r n C a ro l i n a U n i v e r s i t y
Western Carolina sophomore sensation Liz
Rondone, tabbed a “ Rising Star” in women’s
college volleyball by a national publication last
season, drops for the dig during intercollegiate
action in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.
Rondone and the Catamounts are headed into
the homestretch of Southern Conference play
leading up to the conference tournament
Nov. 16- 18 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Cover Story
Features
4 Best in Class
Teacher Education Program
Collects Another National Award
12 Up- and- Coming Attractions
Students Sharpen Career Focus
Through Internships on Movie Set
22 House of Slitherin’
Researchers Work to Preserve
Misunderstood Timber Rattlers
Western Carolina University
Chancellor John W. Bardo
Vice Chancellor Clifton B. Metcalf
Advancement and
External Affairs
Associate Vice Chancellor Leila Tvedt
Public Relations
Managing Editor Bill Studenc
Associate Editor Teresa Killian
Art Director Rubae Sander
Chief Photographer Mark Haskett ’ 87
Contributing Writers Jeff Bryson
Jess Clarke
Jessica Cregger ’ 07
Randall Holcombe
Daniel Hooker ’ 01
John Kenyon
Leila Tvedt
Steve White ’ 67
Class Notes Editor Dianne Yount ’ 79
Designers John Balentine
Katie Martin
Contributing Photographer Ashley T. Evans
Production Manager Loretta R. Adams ’ 80
Construction Junction
New Facilities to Open as
Campus Makeover Continues
T h e M a g a z i n e o f W e s t e r n C a r o l i n a U n i v e r s i t y Western
Fall 2007
Volume 11, No. 4 8 The Magazine of Western Carolina University is
produced by the Office of Public Relations in the
Division of Advancement and External Affairs
for alumni, faculty, staff, friends and students of
Western Carolina University.
8 12
4
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
The third time proved the charm for
Western’s College of Education and
Allied Professions, 2007 co- winner of the
Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher
Education Award presented annually
by the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities. For the past
three years, Western has been among
the national finalists for the award,
named in honor of Christa McAuliffe,
the astronaut/ teacher who died when the
space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly
after liftoff in January 1986.
“ Our philosophy of teacher
preparation at Western is in alignment
with Christa McAuliffe’s often- quoted
motto ‘ I touch the future. I teach,’” said
Michael Dougherty, dean of the College
of Education and Allied Professions.
“ Through our ongoing work with our
many public school partners across
Western North Carolina, we know we
are living up to her legacy. By preparing
and nurturing high- quality teachers
who work in our schools and make a
difference in pupil learning, we play a
role in shaping the young people who
represent the future of our region, our
state and our nation.”
The McAuliffe award is the second
national recognition for Western’s
teacher education program in the
past two years. The Association of
Teacher Educators presented its 2006
Distinguished Program in Teacher
Education award, given to teacher
Teacher Education Program Wins National Christa McAuliffe Award
By BIL STUDENC
education programs that exhibit
outstanding collaboration with local
school systems, to WCU in recognition
of the success of its School- University
Teacher Education Partnership, better
known as SUTEP.
Western Chancellor John W. Bardo
said the national honors provide
important, independent validation of
the strength of the university’s teacher
education program. “ I can think of
no stronger evidence of the efforts of
our faculty, staff, students and school
partners than for Western to win two
national awards for its teacher education
program within two years. That is
unheard of,” Bardo said. “ We are facing
serious shortages across the state and
nationally in the number of qualified
teachers needed to help ensure that our
children are prepared for careers in an
increasingly global economy. I hope
these awards will increase the number
of teacher education majors at Western.
I am convinced that no institution
prepares teachers better than Western
– period.”
SUTEP is part of WCU’s effort to
improve the academic achievement of
students in all grade levels by providing
assistance to educators at each step in
their development – as student teachers,
as they first enter the teaching profession,
and as they reach the middle of their
careers and seek additional professional
development. Established in 1997 as
one of 14 such partnerships in North
Carolina, SUTEP has formal agreements
with 96 schools in 18 WNC school
systems and informal partnerships
with the remaining school systems and
charter schools in the region, said Ruth
McCreary, director of SUTEP since 2001.
Through the partnership, which also
involves faculty from WCU’s College
of Arts and Sciences, educators from
local systems help provide a “ real- world
classroom” perspective to students
in the university’s teacher education
program. Teachers serve as clinical
faculty, co- teaching selected courses with
WCU instructors in an effort to blend
theory and practice, and as cooperating
teachers working with faculty members
on education research projects. Local
school systems also provide traditional
pre- service field experience for WCU’s
student teachers.
The Western Hemisphere
‘ I touch the future. I teach.’
– Christa McAuliffe
The Magazine of Western Carolina University FALL 2007
Student teacher April Hicks works with a
kindergarten class at Smokey Mountain
Elementary School in Whittier as part
of Western’s award- winning teacher
education program.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
Two of WCU’s online programs recently appeared in national
rankings. The September issue of Fortune Small Business
magazine listed Western’s online master’s degree program in
entrepreneurship as one of the five best online entrepreneurship
programs in the nation, while distance education information
clearinghouse GetEducated. com gave WCU’s online bachelor’s
degree program in criminal justice a No. 1 national ranking
in affordability.
“ Distance education is all about making education more
accessible, especially for working adults in need of career-specific
higher education,” said Vicky Phillips, the founder
WEB CITE
Two Online Programs Achieve
National Ranking Recognition
By RANDAL HOLCOMBE
of GetEducated. com. “ The cost of college is a huge inhibiting
factor for most Americans. Western Carolina University is to
be lauded for taking the initiative in making higher education
more affordable, and therefore more accessible, for learners in
North Carolina.”
The listing of WCU’s online Master of Entrepreneurship
Program among the “ 56 top schools for would- be tycoons”
was included in Fortune Small Business and online at
CNNMoney. com, the Internet home of Fortune Small
Business and three other business magazines.
Fortune Small Business compiled its lists of top schools
for entrepreneurship after seven months of interviews with
entrepreneurs, professors, students, alumni, university
administrators and venture capitalists. WCU was the only
university in North Carolina recognized for its online program.
The magazine notes that WCU’s entrepreneurship faculty
members address topics ranging from small- business finance
to how best to protect a company from fraud, and that students
are required to take part in an online business discussion with a
professor and classmates at least twice a week.
“ The objective of our program is to help our students take an
idea for starting a business and be able to create a sustainable
venture by the time they graduate,” said Frank Lockwood,
director of the master’s degree program. “ A big majority of
our graduates either expand their existing companies or start
a new company.”
GetEducated. com listed Western’s online bachelor’s degree
program in criminal justice first among a group of 10 “ best buys”
based on a survey of 35 regionally accredited universities that
offer bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice, law, legal studies and
homeland security through distance education.
North Carolina students who enroll in WCU’s program
pay about $ 9,000 for the program, while the average cost for a
bachelor’s degree in the justice area is above $ 38,000, according
to the GetEducated. com survey.
Entrepreneurship graduate student Coburn Gardner attends
class from his front porch.
The Western Hemisphere Record enrollment makes
for a bustling campus.
The Magazine of Western Carolina University FALL 2007
The 2007 fall semester registration rolls are closed and the numbers
are in – overall student enrollment at Western has topped 9,000 for
the first time in the institution’s history, with significant growth in the
number of community college transfers and graduate students. Keith
Stiles ’ 91 ’ 97 MBA ’ 93 MA ’ 01, senior research analyst in the Office
of Institutional Research and Planning, reported that WCU’s total
student headcount is 9,055 this fall.
“ We are seeing significant trends that tell us a lot about the
direction of the university,” Chancellor John W. Bardo said. “ We
have experienced an increase of about 27 percent in the number of
community college transfers this fall, and the number of students
taking courses through distance education programs is up about
20 percent.”
Overall graduate school enrollment, which includes both traditional
and distance education classes, has increased to 1,945 students this
Steve Warren ’ 80, after completing two consecutive one- year
terms as chair of Western’s board of trustees, recently passed
the gavel to Joan MacNeill of Webster. The board unanimously
approved MacNeill, a community leader and entrepreneur, as its
chair for the next year. Election of officers and administration
of the oath of office for new board member Teresa H. Williams
of Huntersville came earlier this year as part of the board’s first
meeting of the 2007- 08 academic year.
“ This is a great honor and a great privilege,” MacNeill told
the trustees. “ I started on Western’s Foundation Board 10 years
ago, and this university has become my passion. I appreciate
your confidence and your trust, as I have some very big shoes to
fill. It’s an exciting time to be at Western, and I look forward to
working together as the university moves forward.”
Although board bylaws stipulate that Warren step down
as chair, he won’t be going far. His fellow trustees tapped him
to remain in a leadership role as vice chair of the board.
Former Asheville Mayor Charles Worley was elected to
serve as secretary.
MacNeill is co- founder and former president and chief
operations officer for the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. A
former nurse, she previously served with the Garden Club of
Sylva and is treasurer of the Downtown Sylva Association.
Prior to the election of officers, District Court Judge Danny
Davis ’ 75 administered the oath of office to the newest board
member, Teresa Williams, and to five reappointed board
members, including Warren and Worley.
A community leader in Mecklenburg County, Williams is
a former member of the board of visitors for the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and former board member and
vice chair for the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools Board of
Education. She was appointed by then- Gov. Jim Martin to the
Mecklenburg County School Building Solutions Committee,
and has been active with the United Way. She was appointed
to the WCU board by the University of North Carolina Board
of Governors.
Re- appointed to the WCU board by Gov. Mike Easley are
Worley, an Asheville attorney; and Rosemary Wyche of Raleigh,
former vice president of North Carolina Citizens for Business
and Industry. Re- appointed to the board by the University
of North Carolina Board of Governors are Robert Burgin of
Asheville, recently retired chief executive officer of Mission
Hospitals; Gerald Kiser ’ 69 of Columbia, S. C., president of
Paladin Interiors and Design; and Warren, an Asheville attorney
and outgoing chair of the board of trustees.
PASSING THE GAVEL
Trustees Elect Officers,
Welcome Newest Member
By BIL STUDENC
HERE WE GROW AGAIN
Student Enrollment Tops 9,000 To Set New Record
Teresa Williams
fall, up 230 from last year’s enrollment. Bardo attributed much of the
increase in community college transfer enrollment to the Western
2- Step program, a cooperative agreement launched in May that aligns
course requirements at WCU and all 58 community colleges across
North Carolina so that students will know exactly what to expect when
they transfer to Western.
Enrollment for first- time freshmen is down slightly, but the overall
grade- point average for entering freshmen is 3.35, up from last year’s
GPA of 3.26.
“ We are making a decided effort to bring our admission standards
up,” Bardo said. “ When we enroll the right type of students – those
who are better prepared academically and who are a better ‘ fit’ with the
university – they will be more likely to stay in school and remain on
track to graduate.”
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
Watching Helder Residence Hall come down this
summer to make way for a new dining hall was bittersweet
for Brenda Holcombe ’ 94, who lived in Helder for four
years. The building held a lot of memories. Holcombe
remembers getting cheese sticks from The Townhouse
Restaurant to share with hallmates as they piled into one
room to watch “ Doogie Howser, M. D.” and “ Mad About
You.” She remembers children in day care taking short trips
to see the characters that decorated Helder’s “ Disney Hall.”
Yet, Holcombe, now senior associate director in the Office
of Undergraduate Admission, also gets excited describing
to prospective students the more than $ 65 million in
construction and renovation projects under way: a new
dining hall featuring a Starbucks and McAlister’s Deli and
outdoor café- style seating; a student recreation center with
amenities including an indoor track and comprehensive
rock climbing wall; and a science building with state- of-the-
art labs.
“ The plans for the new facilities are phenomenal,” said
Holcombe. “ They will bring many of the resources and
amenities to Western that students today are looking for
in a college campus and will truly enhance the overall
experience for our students.”
Construction Junction
What's Your Function
By fall of next year, barring construction delays, two
new brick buildings with high- pitched green roofs and
tall windows will join the skyline surrounding the lawn of
a new grassy quad at the center of campus. One of those
buildings will be a 73,000- square- foot student recreation
center adjacent to Reid Gym, and the other a two- story,
53,000- square- foot dining hall where Helder used to stand
that will replace Dodson Cafeteria.
Hundreds of students were interviewed about their likes
and dislikes as part of the design process for the new dining
hall, said Rick Nicholson ’ 76, director of auxiliary services.
Upstairs will be an “ all- you- care- to- eat” venue with salads,
fruits and vegetables, pastas and pizza, home- style foods,
grilled items, sandwiches and desserts. Some chairs in
the seating areas will be cushioned, and booths will be
scattered throughout. Windows will overlook campus and
the mountains, said Nicholson.
Downstairs will host a convenience store and retail
outlets including Panda Express, Starbucks, McAlister’s
Deli, Grill Works, Freshëns and Zoca’s, a Mexican- themed
restaurant. Students will be able to dine at outdoor tables
under umbrellas in the style of a sidewalk café. “ The
Starbucks and McAlister’s Deli will have separate entrances
Recreation, Dining Facilities to Open as Campus Makeover Continues
By TERESA KILIAN
New Student Recreation Center - $ 16.8 million New Dining Hall Replacement of Dodson - $ 17.2 million The Magazine of Western Carolina University FALL 2007
A 60- foot excavator dismantled the majority of the
walls of the four- story, 400- bed Helder Residence Hall
in a matter of days in July ( inset). The residence hall for
women first opened in 1966, the same year as Dodson
Cafeteria and Leatherwood Residence Hall. The building
was dedicated in honor of the late Horatio A. and Adah
Clark Helder. Horatio was a member of the board of
trustees of what was then Western Carolina College, and
an executive at Champion Papers Inc. of Canton. Nearby,
a new student recreation center is rising on a former
parking lot between A. K. Hinds University Center and
Reid Gymnasium ( above left).
allowing them to remain open late in the evening, making
these locations a great place for socializing as well as
dining,” said Nicholson.
Earlier this year, the dining area at Brown Cafeteria was
transformed into a sports- themed nightspot and opened
this semester as The Cats Den. The menu features pizza,
wings and hot subs; and entertainment includes arcade
games, pool tables, darts, wireless access, and a 50- inch
flat- screen high- definition television hooked up to a
Nintendo Wii. “ We needed somewhere on campus to relax
and hang out that’s open a little later,” said Ryan Jaskot,
a junior business major from Durham.
In response to student requests for expanded exercise
facilities, construction began on the new student recreation
center, which features two multipurpose courts, a 9,800-
square- foot area for strength- training and cardiovascular
equipment, a three- lane indoor track, a 2,500- square- foot
group exercise studio, fitness assessment rooms, locker
rooms and administrative offices. Kellie Angelo Monteith,
director of the Fitness Center, said the opening of the new
recreation center will enhance access to exercise equipment
Renovation of Stillwell Science Building - $ 27 million Renovation of Forsyth Building - $ 4 million
Continued on page 10
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
and allow more fitness programs to be offered throughout the
day. Currently, the fitness center closes between 8 a. m. and noon
during academic weight- training classes, and group exercise
programs do not have dedicated space.
One of the new building’s hallmarks, the indoor climbing
wall, was designed with help from Josh Whitmore, director
of outdoor programs. The wall features a 48- foot- tall section
and molded archway, offering both challenges for experienced
climbers and areas ideal for beginners. “ This is an exciting
addition to outdoor recreation amenities on campus,” said
Whitmore. “ The university has the unique advantage of being
fairly close to exceptional rock climbing. However, taking
advantage of those resources requires skills that can be learned
and perfected on an indoor wall. The indoor wall offers easy
access any time and in any weather, making the sport more
available to new participants. It’s sure to be a hit with students.”
Also next fall, Forsyth Building, which is home to the College
of Business, is scheduled to reopen after interior renovations
during the 2007- 08 academic year; and finishing touches are
being put on renovated space in Stillwell Science Building.
Scheduled to open this spring are the facility’s microbiology
labs; teaching labs, including one designed for biotech projects;
an herb library and research area; labs specifically for biology,
chemical intensive and faculty research; and faculty offices.
“ We are going to have some really beautiful state- of- the- art
teaching labs that are bright and welcoming,” said Cynthia
Atterholt, head of the chemistry department. Mack Powell, head
of the biology department, said he’s particularly excited to see
the opening of a first- class herbarium. “ We have an outstanding
archive of plants native to the Southern Appalachians that rivals
any in the Southeast, with some specimens more than 100 years
old; but, until now, we haven’t had a really good facility for
processing and cataloging the specimens,” said Powell.
Meanwhile, construction is expected to begin next fall on a
$ 46.2 million Health and Gerontological Sciences Building – the
first building to be constructed on 344 acres of recently acquired
property between the Jackson County Airport and the North
Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. The building
will anchor what the university’s master plan describes as a
“ neighborhood of interest,” a mixed- use community designed
to co- locate traditional campus activities, including classes and
research, with related private and governmental enterprises
interested in collaborating with students and faculty ( see related
story). A new residence hall is on the drawing board, too.
“ Fall ’ 08 will be an exciting time,” said Chuck Wooten ’ 73,
vice chancellor for administration and finance.
Jessica Hobart, a senior parks and recreation management
major from Asheville, says she regrets only that she will not
be at WCU next year to enjoy the climbing wall and other new
facilities on campus. She approves of the construction – as long
as it preserves, too, what makes Cullowhee special. “ It would be
awful to no longer be able to enjoy the beautiful mountains as
I read under the shade of an old tree on campus,” she said. “ But
I also think some of the construction, such as the new student
recreation center, is long overdue. We must continually enhance
and update the campus so that Western will be a place where
students want to go and want to stay.”
New Health & Gerontological Sciences Building - $ 46.2 million Total: $ 111.2 million
Continued from page 9
Sam Miller, vice chancellor for student affairs ( left),
and Chancellor John Bardo check out progress on
the student recreation center.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 10 University FALL 2007
You could almost hear the celebratory champagne corks
popping in Moore Hall, home to many of Western’s academic
programs in the health sciences, when N. C. Gov. Mike Easley
signed a $ 20.7 billion budget bill on the last day of July. That’s
because the 2007- 08 state budget includes $ 43.8 million in
funding for a new health and gerontological sciences building
at WCU.
The 145,000- square- foot facility that will house educational
programs in the College of Health and Human Sciences will
be the first construction project on the university’s Millennial
Initiative property, 344 acres across N. C. Highway 107
from Western’s main campus. But that major allocation for
construction of the long- awaited building is just part of a total
of nearly $ 53 million in new investments in Western by the state
this year, said Clifton Metcalf, vice chancellor for advancement
and external affairs.
“ This has been a very dramatic year for Western, financially
speaking,” Metcalf said. “ Between $ 52.8 million in new funds
from the state, $ 15.7 million in gifts contributed to the university
through The Campaign for Western and $ 3.4 million through
the Foundation in contributions to annual operations funds, it is
a record year for public and private giving to Western. I believe
that level of financial support for the university speaks volumes
about the direction of the institution. In both the public and
the private sector, people tend to invest their money in people,
programs and places where they feel confident those dollars will
pay dividends. The $ 71.9 million in public appropriations and
private contributions that have come to Western this year will
have a tremendous impact on the university’s ability to educate its
students and serve the needs of the people of the region.”
The funding represents the second largest injection of financial
resources into Western, although the $ 98.4 million that represented
the university’s share of a $ 3.1 billion state higher education bond
issue approved by N. C. voters in November 2000 did not come
in one fell swoop. “ To me, to see these kinds of resources coming
into this place is incredible,” said Rosemary Wyche of Raleigh,
former vice president of North Carolina Citizens for Business
and Industry and a member of WCU’s board of trustees. “ It’s
absolutely incredible.”
The biggest chunk of change coming Western’s way is the
$ 43.8 million for the new health sciences building. The General
Assembly allocated $ 2.4 million in advance planning and design
funding for the building in 2005, for a total pricetag of $ 46.2 million.
The new building will house classrooms, offices and laboratory
space to allow much- needed expansion of Western’s accredited
degree programs to meet an increasing demand for licensed
health care professionals in a wide range of nursing and health
sciences disciplines, said Linda Seestedt- Stanford, dean of the
College of Health and Human Sciences. “ This building will provide
exceptional educational and research opportunities that will enrich
and advance the quality of education at Western and will serve
as a testament to our dedication to making a difference in the
health of the people of North Carolina,” said Seestedt- Stanford.
“ It will allow both the physical assimilation of our health
programs, pulling together faculty and students currently housed
in four different buildings, as well as interdisciplinary cross-fertilization,
an essential element necessary in the education of
health sciences students.”
State Investment in New Health Building
Highlights Record Year in Revenues for WCU
By BILL ST UDEN C
Linda Seestedt- Stanford, dean of the College of Health
and Human Sciences ( center), is joined by ( from left) Phillip
Kneller, Judy Dillard, Vincent Hall and Karen Lunnen at the
site where the health and gerontological sciences building
( architect’s concept pictured above) will be constructed.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 11
Re- create conditions on an 18th- century sailing ship and in
a Colonial community – that was the challenge for 12 motion
picture majors from Western working as summer interns on an
independent film set in the North Carolina village of Old Salem.
Titled “ Wesley,” the film is about John Wesley, founder of the
Methodist Church in England, during his few years in America,
said producer John Jackman of Foundery Pictures.
Jackman and his director of photography, Arledge Armenaki,
associate professor of cinematography in WCU’s motion picture
and television production program, hired the Western students
to work as crew on the film.
The first couple of days were tough, said Ian Vigstedt, a senior
from Asheville who worked as a script supervisor. “ We really
didn’t have a feel for it,” said Vigstedt. “ We were required to
do professional work with no experience. It was terrifying. I
thought I’d mess up; let people down. We all had our foul- ups
– professionals and students alike. But once I got over the initial
terror and realized I could do this job and do it well, it turned
out great.”
Aaron Putnam, who worked as a grip, agreed. “ We learned
about the life of a working set. That’s an adventure right there,”
said Putnam, a junior from Weaverville. His job of hauling
around huge, heavy lights and stands was strenuous, but he’s not
complaining. “ We met a lot of really good professionals – not
just the actors, but camera operators, grips, gaffers and other
technical folks. It was spectacularly fun,” he said.
And it was a good experience, said Tommy Flaherty, also a
grip. For the senior from Clyde, the hardest part was learning the
names of the lighting equipment. “ I didn’t know what half the
stuff was at first,” he said – stuff like the high roller, high high,
triple riser or mickey mole. “ It took a while, but we finally got it,”
Flaherty said.
Now back to that sailing ship – a 36- footer with two masts
and full rigging. Corey Utke, a senior from Denver, was assigned
to set construction. “ From reading the script, we could see that
a quarter of the story takes place on the Atlantic, so we had to
build a boat somehow,” Utke said. And there were no blueprints.
“ We did lots of research in the library and on the Internet. We
talked with people at shipyards and found a naval expert to help
with the knots,” he said.
“ When we were finished, Professor Armenaki said, ‘ That
boat looks great. That’s bad. It has to look like it’s been at sea
By LEILA TVEDT
The Magazine of Western Carolina 12 University FALL 2007
for months.’ So we beat on it with bicycle chains and threw
gallons of mud on it,” Utke said. But he doesn’t mind.
The ship from “ Wesley” will be used in another film. “ They
won’t even have to take it apart, and we’ll get credits for
both,” he said.
Kristen Philyaw, a senior who worked on props, also
learned to make do. Because of the movie’s low budget,
Philyaw, who hails from Pottstown, Pa., helped the set
designer borrow period furniture, and they made pewter
dinnerware from spray- painted paper plates. “ I learned a lot
about improvising,” she said. “ It was a lot of work,
more work than people realize, but I still really
want to get into this after graduation.”
And that’s the point, said Jack Sholder,
Hollywood veteran and program director at
Western. “ It was an extraordinary experience
for our students,” Sholder said. “ They learned
how a movie works, how a set works, how the
pieces fit together. And they did some great
networking. I thought it was enormously
successful. It did exactly what we want an
internship to do,” he said.
Aaron Putnam, who has been making amateur movies since he
was in high school, is learning even more about video storytelling
as a motion picture major at WCU, and he got some great
experience as a summer intern working with the pros on the set of
a motion picture production. Now Putnam has another star to add
to his resume.
Make that nine stars.
Putnam and his production, titled “ Cosmo of 1932,” won the
Audience Award plus nearly half of the other 18 awards given by
judges at the 48 Hour Film Festival in Asheville this summer.
“ Cosmo” took best film and top honors for special effects, song,
sound design, cinematography, writing, acting and directing.
Think about it – 48 hours to make a complete movie. The genre
is assigned, as are one of the props, one of the characters, and one
line of dialogue. Only location scouting is allowed in advance.
That’s it. Now go create a seven- minute film. That’s exactly what
Putnam and his team did.
“ It’s really a stress test. While I was writing the script, the others
went out to find what we had or could adapt to support the story,”
Putnam said. “ I sat down at the computer and, three hours later,
had the script and some idea of what to do about it. I had expected
to do something serious, but the character of Cosmo came out as a
spoof on the old film noire detective. He’s a modern- day cop who
plays out his job as if he’s in the ’ 30s,” complete with tough talk
and a trench coat. “ Miles Rice, who won best actor, did a brilliant
job with his interpretation,” Putnam said.
Then there was Putnam’s sister who wrote the award- winning
theme song; and friends and classmates who helped operate
cameras, record sound and create costumes. They found the
required umbrella prop ( which becomes surprisingly deadly)
and played the parts of police chief, sidekick, cowboy, villain,
flapper, criminal master mind and the required character – an
environmentalist ( who keeps in touch with nature by selling pot)
– and his almost- twin brother. Together, they kept each other
going through a plot that thickens right up to the final frame.
“ Everyone in the movie did such a great job,” Putnam said. The
judges obviously thought so. To see why they were so impressed,
go to www. putnamfilms. com.
Students Alex Dillard ( top) and Robbie
Cassidy ( bottom) work side by side with
movie industry professionals including
actor R. Keith Harris ’ 92 ( above right),
one of the stars of “ Wesley.”
Aaron Putnam, award- winning filmmaker.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 13
Academic
WCU Educational Talent Search
Director Todd Murdock ’ 85 MAEd ’ 93 leads summer participants
on trips that include ( clockwise from top left) bicycling more than
1,000 miles along the path of Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean;
planting endemic species in Glacier National Park; bicycling on
the Oregon side of Columbia River Gorge; hiking in
Montana; and exploring
Saint Mary Falls.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 14 University FALL 2007
Students in Western’s Educational Talent Search program
did more than read about Native American tribes in the Great
Plains. They flew to Montana, slept in tipis, helped a 91- year-old
hide tanner, joined tribal children in traditional games and
meals, and planted endemic plant species in areas of Glacier
National Park damaged by forest fire.
“ There’s a difference between reading or hearing about
something, and going to the subject and struggling to really ‘ get
it,’” said Todd Murdock ’ 85 MAEd ’ 93, director of Educational
Talent Search at WCU. “ That kind of experiential education
really impacts someone – helps them understand the world a
little more and discover something new in themselves. That’s
what we do here.”
The U. S. Department of Education funds Talent Search
programs across the country to help increasing numbers of
young people from disadvantaged backgrounds complete
high school and continue their education at postsecondary
institutions. Services typically offered include tutoring, career
exploration, aptitude assessments, counseling, mentoring
programs, workshops, information on postsecondary
institutions and assistance with applying for
admission and financial aid.
WCU Pre- College Program Recognized for Creativity
By TERESA KILLIAN At Western, Talent Search offers 900 middle and high school
students those core services plus additional outdoor and cultural
activities, including intensive summer enrichment experiences
that have been commended on the national level for creativity,
said Murdock. For three consecutive summers, participants
from Western’s Talent Search retraced the Lewis and Clark
expedition – hiking, biking and paddling more than 1,000 miles
from St. Louis, Mo., to the coast of Oregon. An environmental,
cultural and historical “ Girl Power” trip to the Carolina coast
and barrier islands was an opportunity for many participants to
see the ocean for the first time. This past summer’s trip marked
the first in what will be a series of cultural and service learning
exchange trips.
“ We don’t have a lot of time with these students. To really rock
their world in a positive way in the time we do have, we design
programs that they will think are really cool while also being
meaningful, powerful and intentional,” said Murdock, who
joined Talent Search two decades ago as an outreach counselor
and became the director in 1987. Montana exchange program
organizers wanted participants to really step outside of their
own world and experience the rich culture at the Flathead Indian
Reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai
tribes, and Browning, the largest community on the Blackfeet
Indian Reservation. Murdock said he believes they did.
“ One day on the trip we listened to a man talk about a dark
time in his tribe’s past. It was good for the kids to hear, but not
necessarily easy to hear. In one story, the man recounted the
kidnapping of the tribe’s children in the name of God by people
who were white,” he said. “ At our campfire debriefing that night,
one student said, ‘ I felt sorry for him,’ and another ‘ I felt bad for
Continued on page 16
“ This is the true story of twenty strangers,
chosen to travel together, to experience
a new place and a rich culture, to live
among strangers soon to be friends, to work
alongside one another, to experience the
authentic learning environment that comes
when people stop being comfortable, and
start living ‘ on the road.’”
- Excerpt from blog, “ On the Road Service Learning
and Cultural Exchange” 2007 program, Educational
Talent Search, Western Carolina University.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 15
him. I think he was really just very frustrated with how things
happened.’ That was when I knew they got it. They really heard
him and were walking a mile in his moccasins.”
For Monica Gatti, a junior at Nantahala High School who
wants to become a teacher, the Montana trip was her first
venture west of Tennessee. Gatti said she was moved listening
to Oshanee Kenmille, who started tanning hides at age 12 and
was married at age 14 in a prearranged marriage, and inspired
when they hiked trails more difficult and longer than she ever
had before. “ I know it sounds funny, but the sky was really big
and open. Everything was. We were driving down the road,
and to the left there were rolling hills and to the right Rocky
Mountains,” said Gatti. “ Parts of the trip were challenging,
but it was worth it.”
In addition to coordinating summer enrichment experiences,
Educational Talent Search outreach counselors meet with middle
school students regularly during the school year for activities
such as career exploration and invite students to participate
in two full days of outdoor learning experiences. For high
school students, Talent Search offers assistance preparing for
the SAT, fee waivers for test or college applications, and trips
to visit colleges. “ Our main purpose is to help first- generation
college- bound students,” said Murdock, who himself was in
the first generation from his family to earn a college degree.
“ Many families want their children to go to college but may
not necessarily know the process – when to take the SAT, visit
colleges and apply.”
Program participants such as Amanda Buchanan ’ 06 say
Educational Talent Search helped give her the information and
confidence she needed to keep pursuing her dream of becoming
a veterinarian. Buchanan was new to Andrews Middle School
when she joined Talent Search and participated in such activities
as a “ Girl Power” trip and ropes course challenges. “ I was
anxious. I remember being harnessed to a rope and trying to
climb a rope ladder. It was something I had never done before
and didn’t think I could, but people on the ground were giving
me a lot of encouragement,” said Buchanan. Talent Search’s
career exploration activities confirmed to Buchanan that her
skills and love of animals suited her for the veterinary field. Now,
after completing the pre- vet program at Western, she has become
the first student from Cherokee County to enter veterinary
school at North Carolina State University. “ I want to come back
to work in this region after I graduate,” said Buchanan. “ I am
pretty committed to serving the community here. I know I will
have to work hard, but I know I can do it.”
Read more about Educational Talent Search at Western
Carolina University on the Web site www. wcu. edu/ talentsearch.
Continued from page 15
Educational Talent Search participants
raft the Flathead River in Montana.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 16 University FALL 2007
A. J. Rowell ’ 05 can’t remember exactly when the thought
of a long- distance benifit ride came to his mind, but it was
sometime during his solo across- the- United States bicycle
tour, several months after his graduation from Western.
The day after he participated in commencement ceremonies
at the Ramsey Center, Rowell left Cullowhee with his degree
in accounting and finance to start the first long- distance
bicycle tour of his life – a ride along the entire length of the
Blue Ridge Parkway, from Cherokee to Rockfish Gap, Va.
Rowell was so enthralled with that adventure that he kept
riding past the point where the parkway ended in Virginia,
and pedaled on to visit relatives near Washington, D. C.
After that 680- mile adventure, he immediately left for
Montana to begin a 320- mile tour that included Yellowstone
National Park. “ Somewhere in Yellowstone, I started talking
about a cross- country bicycle tour,” he said. Sure enough, next
up was a four- month, 4,700- mile ride across the northern tier
of the United States that took him from Anacortes, Wash., to
Bar Harbor, Maine.
Rowell says it might have been while he was blazing down
a Montana road with a 30- mph wind at his back, or it could
have been while he was facing a brutal headwind and 100-
degree temperatures in Iowa, but somewhere out in the wide
open spaces during that cross- country ride the idea came to
him. “ I realized how much more fulfilling my trip would be if
I had a cause,” he said. “ My journey had no cause other than
personal achievement. I thought about what I could do to
bring meaning to such a journey.”
That meaning is finding form as Rowell continues his
current trek – a 10,000- mile journey from Prudhoe Bay,
Alaska, to Cullowhee that includes 13 states, three Canadian
provinces and 22 national parks. Called “ Why I Ride,” the
expedition serves one purpose – to help those in need, Rowell
said. He hopes to raise $ 25,000 to be distributed among five
major charities.
Rowell began his “ Why I Ride” tour in June, and he expects
the entire journey to take six to eight months. By late August,
he had reached northern British Columbia and was averaging
70 miles per day. He expected to reach the U. S. border in early
September, and hoped to make it through the Rockies before
winter weather arrives.
“ This tour is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, physically and
mentally,” Rowell said, particularly because the ride has taken
him across some of the most remote wildernesses of Alaska and
Canada, where he has been completely reliant on the equipment
and provisions he can carry on his bicycle. He has ridden for as
long as a week without finding modern services of any kind.
Rowell said the challenges he faces are insignificant, though,
compared to the difficulties faced by those who live out every day
of their lives in the grip of poverty. “ I remind myself of that a lot
when I’m out here,” he said.
Rowell’s Web site, WhyIRide. org, includes a journal with
trip details, information about charities that will benefit from
the ride, photo galleries, and a chance for visitors to sign
up for e- mail updates and make donations.
Rowell Embarks on 10,000- mile Bicycle Ride to Benefit Charities
By RAN DALL HOL COMBE
CYCLE OF HOPE A. J. Rowell ’ 05 soaks in the scenery of Canada’s Yukon
countryside during his cross- continental charity ride.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 17
The late Genevieve Whitmire MAEd ’ 69 and E. J. Whitmire
started their careers teaching high school in Franklin and spent
their lives educating others about the value and joy of learning.
The Whitmires taught their children and grandchildren that
hard work and getting an education were among the best ways to
succeed, and that people with drive, determination and a love of
learning deserved a hand along the way. Now, their children and
grandchildren are extending that hand to students at Western
through a scholarship fund they created in 2006 in honor of
E. J. Whitmire, who died in 1998, and Genevieve Whitmire, who
died on June 14.
“ Our family believes there is no better way to carry forward their
philosophy and contributions than to establish a scholarship fund
to foster and advance other life- long learners who plan to touch the
lives of young people through teaching,” said their granddaughter
Kathleen Burda Wirth ’ 97 MAEd ’ 01, on behalf of the family
members who contributed more than $ 60,000 to start the fund. “ If
there was a question of funding an educational opportunity and if
there was a way to help, Genevieve and E. J. would try to aid – even
if they didn’t always know the recipient very well. They felt that
need shouldn’t stand in the way of learning.”
This year, the Genevieve and E. J. Whitmire Scholarship
Fund will generate about $ 3,000 to help a student majoring in
mathematics education or science education. The scholarship
recognizes the Whitmires, who both at one time taught high school
science, and the need for teachers in schools today, said Genevieve
Burda, the Whitmires’ daughter and a past member of Western’s
board of trustees. “ We felt any incentive we can offer to encourage
talented students interested in teaching in those disciplines would
help address the critical need for teachers in math and science,”
said Burda.
Chancellor John W. Bardo said the new scholarship will
improve the quality of education for generations to come. “ The
story of the tremendous growth at Western Carolina University
would not be complete without the Whitmire family,” said
Bardo. “ For more than 50 years, the Whitmires have given
generously of their time, their services and their finances to
enhance and expand opportunities for students at Western.”
The scholarship marks the third endowed scholarship fund
established by the Whitmire family. In 1974, the Whitmires and
E. J. Whitmire’s brother and sister- in- law, Blanton J. Whitmire
and Margaret S. “ Peg” Whitmire, created the Myrtle Olivia
Whitmire Scholarship, which benefits students planning
careers in early childhood education. In 1996, Genevieve and
E. J. Whitmire developed another scholarship, the “ Little E. J.”
Scholarship Fund, to help students preparing for careers in
special education. In addition, Whitmire family members have
financially supported university programs and professorships,
programs and in- kind services.
For more than 20 years, E. J. Whitmire served on Western’s
board of trustees. In a 1974 publication printed when Western’s
stadium was dedicated as the E. J. Whitmire Stadium, a facility
E. J. Whitmire donated site preparation work in order to
construct, he talked about what led him, though an alumnus
of North Carolina State University, to become one of Western’s
most active advocates. “ When Gov. Kerr Scott was elected, he
asked me to accept an appointment to the Western Carolina
Board of Trustees,” he said. “ I had turned down some earlier
appointments, but I accepted this one when he convinced me
that I could help the development of the area and its people.”
It's All in the Family By TERESA KILLIAN
Genevieve Burda ( right) is
among the family members
who endowed a scholarship
fund in memory of
Genevieve Whitmire
MAEd ’ 69 and E. J.
Whitmire, pictured at their
farm in Cherokee County.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 18 University FALL 2007
Employees and family members of Macon Bank recently
honored the memory of a beloved co- worker and Western
alumnus by renaming a scholarship in his honor.
The Michael Morgan Memorial Scholarship, previously called
the Macon Bank Scholarship, pays tribute to the late Michael
Morgan ’ 84, former first vice president and chief lending
officer, who passed away in January. An 11- year employee of
Macon Bank, Morgan was a member of the foundation board
of Southwestern Community College and served on the Macon
County Economic Development Commission.
“ Mike was a big part of the bank. With the recent
establishment of the new banking concentration at Western,
it all seemed to fit,” said Roger Plemens ’ 77, president and
chief executive officer of Macon Bank, who also was Morgan’s
longtime friend.
Using the fund’s previous balance of $ 19,000, in addition
to a gift of $ 25,000 from Macon Bank, the scholarship will
provide a junior- or senior- level banking student from Western
North Carolina with an annual award of $ 5,000 beginning in
the 2007- 08 academic year. Annual earnings of the fund will
contribute to half of the scholarship amount, and Macon Bank
will donate $ 2,500 annually to assure that the full $ 5,000 is
awarded every year.
“ We appreciate Macon Bank’s leadership in recognizing the
importance of the corporate- educational partnership,” said
Kyle Carter, WCU provost. “ Western Carolina University is
honored to remember Mike Morgan through this important
scholarship fund.”
Macon A Difference By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
Founded in Franklin in 1922, Macon Bank has grown to
11 branches and more than 200 employees. Of the bank’s
employees, more than 30 are Western grads. In addition to
Plemens, president and CEO since April 2004, they include
Holly McCall ’ 92, director of human resources; Laura Clark
’ 92, vice president and compliance officer; Will Madden ’ 92,
vice president and Cashiers branch manager; and Patrick Moore
’ 01, director of marketing. “ We also have several loan officers,
customer service representatives and tellers in our branches that
are WCU alumni,” said Moore.
For information on
The Campaign for Western,
visit the Web site at
campaign. wcu. edu
or call ( 828) 227- 7124.
Roger Plemens ’ 77 presents
Provost Kyle Carter with a
gift of $ 25,000 for the Michael
Morgan Memorial Scholarship
Fund in honor of the late
Michael Morgan ’ 84, ( in the
photograph at the far right)
who was first vice president and
chief lending officer of Macon
Bank. Also taking part in the
presentation ( from left) are
Morgan’s wife, Jane ’ 81 MAEd
’ 82, and his two daughters,
Kelly and Lori.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 19
A former Western administrator who served as chairman of
Mountain Heritage Day for 18 years and his wife have established
a $ 10,000 endowed fund that will help the event continue to thrive
as one of the premier folk festivals in the Southeast. Investment
earnings from the fund created by W. Douglas Davis ’ 49 and
Angela Davis MA ’ 68 of Cullowhee will be used to support a wide
range of festival activities.
“ Doug” Davis was a member of WCU’s staff from
1966 until his retirement in 1992 as assistant vice
chancellor for student development. Angela Davis
taught at WCU for eight years before entering a
career in real estate.
In 1974, Doug Davis served on the committee
that planned the inauguration of H. F. Robinson
as chancellor at WCU. The committee planned
the inauguration as, in part, a “ Founder’s Day”
celebration. That event evolved into Mountain
Heritage Day, and in 1976 Davis was chosen to lead
the new Mountain Heritage Day committee. He
affixed Mountain Heritage Day to the last Saturday
in September and led the festival to its position as a
major folk festival that now draws 25,000 to 30,000
visitors to WCU’s campus each year. After his 1992
retirement, Davis continued to head Mountain
Heritage Day for two more years.
Now in its 33rd year, Mountain Heritage Day is
supported by the state of North Carolina through
the work of WCU’s faculty and staff, but the only
regular funding received by the festival comes
through vendor booth rental fees and from receiving
a percentage of receipts from vendors’ sales at the
festival’s arts, crafts and food midway. There are no
parking fees, and admission to the festival is free.
Vendor sales at Mountain Heritage Day are heavily
dependent upon festival attendance, and attendance
is dependent on the weather, so it follows that event
revenues can fluctuate each year according to the
weather in Cullowhee on festival day.
“ Throughout its history, Mountain Heritage Day
has been blessed with great weather in most years,
but being at the mercy of Mother Nature puts the
festival in a tenuous position,” said Scott Philyaw ’ 83,
current festival chairman and director of WCU’s
Mountain Heritage Center.
“ That’s why this gift from Doug and Angela
Davis is one of the most pivotal developments in
the festival’s history. This fund will provide a more reliable source
of revenue that we can depend on from now on,” Philyaw said.
“ Through this donation, the Davises are helping to ensure that
Mountain Heritage Day will continue to thrive for many years
to come as a tribute to and celebration of the traditional culture
of the Southern Appalachians. Doug Davis was an excellent
steward throughout the early years of the festival. This gift
continues that stewardship.”
A Giving Tradition By RAN DALL HOL COMBE
In addition to serving as festival chairman, W. Douglas Davis ’ 49 was
“ town crier” for Mountain Heritage Day for numerous years.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 20 University FALL 2007
Retired educators Tom Henson ’ 63 MAEd ’ 69 and Carol
Henson ’ 66 readily admit they were not exactly the most
involved alumni in university history – at least, not for the first
40 years following their graduations from Western. All that
changed after a return to their alma mater to watch a women’s
basketball game last year.
Carol Henson, who majored in history at WCU before
enjoying a career as a teacher and administrator, wanted to see
the Lady Catamounts take on Auburn University in the season-opener
at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. She convinced
her husband, a long- time teacher and coach who majored in
history and Spanish, to make the trip to Cullowhee from their
Winston- Salem home.
The couple was highly impressed with the players and the
way Coach Kellie Harper and her staff managed the team. “ We
were both so impressed, and we were both really hooked,” Tom
Henson said – so hooked that they have attended 26 Western
sporting events since then.
While getting reacquainted with Western athletics, the
Hensons were struck by how the athletics staff – especially
Jennifer Brown, assistant athletics director and senior women’s
administrator – was helping WCU athletes also perform their
Sporting Chance By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
best in the classroom. “ Athletics has such a hard- working staff
and a great bunch of players. The athletes are all extremely good
students and rank up there in terms of grade- point averages,”
Tom Henson said.
In March, Western student- athletes landed a league- best 20
students on the Southern Conference’s TIAA- CREF Winter
Academic All- Conference team, including five Lady Catamount
basketball players. That off- court performance helped guide the
Hensons’ decision to donate their estate to Catamount athletics.
“ My wife and I do not have children,” Henson said. “ We
thought the student- athletes we might be able to help will make
something of themselves.”
Their estate gift is creating the Tom and Carol Henson Fund
for the Academic Resource Center for Athletics, with money
from their estate to be used to support the operation of programs
that assist student- athletes in their academic endeavors. Rather
than donate to one particular sport, the Hensons wanted their
gift to benefit all athletes, male and female. “ We are very fond
of the university and education, and feel like Western is really
moving along academically. We think our donation will help
that progress,” he said.
Tom Henson ’ 63 MAEd ’ 69 and Carol Henson ’ 66
( from left) visit the academic resource center with
Jennifer Brown, assistant athletics director.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 21
House of
Slitherin' By BILL STUDENC
The Magazine of Western Carolina 22 University FALL 2007
Research Project is Designed
To Keep Timber Rattlers Off the
Endangered Species List
To Ron Davis, assistant professor of natural resources
management at Western, timber rattlesnakes are the North
Carolina wildlife equivalent of Rodney Dangerfield – they
just don’t get any respect. Sure, timber rattlers inspire fear
and loathing among most people. But increasing human
encroachment upon their habitat is pushing the creatures,
already considered a “ species of special concern,” closer to the
endangered list and, perhaps, to the verge of extinction.
That’s why Davis, working with the N. C. Wildlife Resources
Commission, is leading a research effort in the mountains
of Western North Carolina to determine the impact of new
housing developments and road- building on the animal. In the
pilot project, timber rattlers that have been captured in the wild
are implanted with special radio transmitters by an Asheville
veterinarian. Davis and his students then use geographic
information systems technology and radio receivers to track
the snakes after they have been returned to the spot where
they were caught.
“ The timber rattler is probably the most misunderstood
animal in Western North Carolina,” said Davis. “ Because people
fear them, they want to kill them. Between the destruction of
dens by development, wanton killing of the snakes, accidental
road kills and illegal poaching, the population of these animals
is declining dramatically.”
So what, some might argue about the thought of fewer
venomous reptiles slithering through the WNC woodlands.
Jenn Slagle, a senior from Shelby who is working with Davis on
the project, said the timber rattlesnake is an important part of a
larger ecosystem and helps control the rodent population. “ This
species was in the mountains long before we were living here,”
said Slagle, who is majoring in natural resources management
and political science. As part of the project, Slagle developed
a computer model using GIS software to determine probable
locations of timber rattlesnake dens. WCU researchers are using
radio telemetry throughout the fall to track released snakes that
were implanted with the radio transmitters, until the reptiles
return to their dens for winter hibernation.
The goals of the project are conservation and education, said
Davis. “ When we build homes on the mountainsides, we are
encroaching upon their territory. When people and rattlesnakes
share the same space, the snakes usually lose,” he said. A major
problem in snake- human interactions is that the snakes cannot
simply be relocated, Davis said. “ Moving a snake out of its home
range is basically a death sentence for the snake,” he said.
“ Our work will allow us to examine the effects of development
and hopefully develop some ways in which people and snakes
can co- exist.”
The ultimate goal of the project is to help preserve the snakes,
in part by educating people that they are not vicious, aggressive
animals, said Davis. Although serious, rattlesnake bites are very
rare, and usually occur when someone is trying to handle or
kill a snake. “ The snakes are defensive. The rattle is a defense
mechanism, not an attack signal, and their survival depends
upon not being seen. Given the chance, they will head for cover,”
he said. “ It can be frightening for some people when they see
a rattlesnake, but this remarkable animal really deserves our
respect rather than our fear. The best thing to do is to simply
leave them alone.”
Professor Ron Davis ( left) releases a timber rattler implanted with a radio transmitter
while student Jenn Slagle ( above right) tracks the creatures with a radio receiver.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 23
Tracy Keith Bridges
’ 98 BS ’ 02 JD Appalachian School of Law
Asheville, N. C.
Associate, Moore Law Firm
At WCU: Golden Ambassador; chief justice,
Student Supreme Court; senator, Student
Council; Criminal Justice Club.
Formerly: Medal of Valor and heroism
awards and honors in 2001 due to involve-ment
in stopping a school shooter in Virginia
while attending law school; American Bar As-sociation
representative; lieutenant governor
for Fourth Circuit; Student Bar Association,
senator; American Trial Lawyers Association,
member; Wake County Young Lawyers Divi-sion,
member.
Currently: Master Mason, French Broad
Masonic Lodge No. 292; treasurer and
executive board member, Helpmate of
Madison County ( domestic violence program);
volunteer with Feeding the Homeless in Ashe-ville;
developed and coordinates the Santa Pal
program for the children of Madison County.
Ed Cody, CPA, CHFP
’ 79 BSBA
Asheville, N. C.
Partner in the accounting firm Dixon Hughes
PLLC; partner- in- charge of the firm’s health
care consulting group.
At WCU: Treasurer, Alpha Kappa Psi
business fraternity; charter student
of WCU co- op program.
Formerly: Past president of WCU’s
Catamount Club.
Currently: Vice chair of the board of
Plowpoint Inc., a ministry to equip churches
for new services and resolve conflicts; cre-ated
The Spiritual Entrepreneur Program, a
program to encourage and empower people
to use their passions and gifts in ministry;
member of Covenant Community United
Methodist Church.
Married to Andrea Rhodarmer Cody ’ 81;
two daughters, Camille and Tierney.
Michael B. Jordan, CPA, CMA
’ 71 BSBA ’ 89 MBA
Wilkesboro, N. C.
Self- employed as an accounting
and small business consultant.
At WCU: Student.
Formerly: Former program chair, Wilkes
District Roundtable, Old Hickory Council
Boy Scouts of America.
Currently: Member of American Institute
of CPAs, N. C. Association of CPAs, and
the Institute of Management Accountants.
Member, board of directors, Wilkes County
Communities in Schools. Mentor in Friends
of Youth Program.
Married to Rachel Hincher Jordan ’ 71.
Frances Owl- Smith, MD
’ 83 BS ’ 87 MD UNC- Chapel Hill
School of Medicine
Waynesville, N. C.
Medical director of the laboratory at Haywood
Regional Medical Center in Clyde, N. C.
At WCU: University Scholar.
Formerly: Following pathology residency
practiced medicine in Arizona and
New Mexico.”
Currently: Secretary of the Haywood
County Medical Society; serve on several
hospital committees; active in the Haywood
Medical Foundation efforts to expand hospital
facilities; professional member of the Ameri-can
Society of Clinical Pathologists, College of
American Pathologists, North Carolina Medical
Society and the Association of American
Indian Physicians; member of the Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians.
Married to Doyle Smith; three children.
Sandra L. Tolley
’ 76 MA
Marshall, N. C.
Retired teacher.
At WCU: English teaching assistant;
earned scholarship.
Formerly: President, Madison County
Friends of the Library; chairman, Madison
County Commissioners.
Currently: Chairman, Madison County
Board of Education.
Married to Charles Tolley; two daughters.
NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 1
( 19,611 WCU alumni): Alleghany, Alexander, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson,
Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties.
( Vote for one. The top three vote recipients will serve three- year terms, 2007- 10.)
WCU Alumni Association Announces NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 2
( 11,696 WCU alumni): Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln,
Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union and Yadkin counties.
( Vote for one. The top two vote recipients will serve three- year terms, 2007- 10.)
Julia Moody Britt
’ 57 BSEd ’ 59 MEd UNC- CH
Charlotte, N. C.
Retired AP/ IB English teacher and
archivist. Author of “ Charlotte Country
Day School: The First Fifty Years.”
At WCU: President, Women’s House Government; vice
president, Student Senate; member, standards, student activities,
appropriations and student- faculty judiciary committees; staff,
Catamount and Western Carolinian; junior and senior counselor;
dean’s list, Alpha Phi Sigma; Marshals Club; May and
Homecoming courts; Who’s Who; Best College Citizen’s Awards.
Formerly: President of NCTE, Alpha Sigma chapter of Delta
Kappa Gamma, UNCC Women, PTA; NCTE Achievement Awards in
Writing; reader for the AP English Exam; member of Cum Laude
Honorary Society and the CCDS Honorary Alumni Association;
recipient of a CCDS Faculty Recognition Award and the J. R.
Williams Travel Fellowship to Ireland.
Currently: Member of Charlotte Symphony Women for
34 years; member of Mint Museum, First Presbyterian Church,
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, WCU and UNC- CH
alumni associations.
Married to William M. Britt ’ 57 BS ’ 59 MEd UNC- CH ’ 67 EdD, UT.
Three children; two grandchildren.
Thomas J. “ Tom” Henson
’ 63 BSEd ’ 69 MAEd
Winston- Salem, N. C.
Retired teacher and coach ( football, baseball)
in Jackson, Wayne and Forsyth counties, N. C.
At WCU: Member, Student Senate; vice president,
Day Students; member, International Relations
Club, honor roll student.
Formerly: Member, Winston- Salem Chamber
of Commerce and North Davidson Chamber
of Commerce; ESL volunteer teacher, Davidson County
Schools; Spanish instructor, Davidson County deputies.
Currently: Member, WCU Catamount Club ( ICATS).
Married to Carol Shaw Henson’ 66 UNC- G ’ 72.
Edwin R. Holland
’ 75 BSBA
Charlotte, N. C.
Church administrator, Friendship
Missionary Baptist Church.
At WCU: President, Organization of Ebony Students;
Student Government Association.
Formerly: Member, WFAE ( University Radio
Foundation); 100 Black Men of America –
Charlotte chapter; board member, A Child’s
Place; board member, Friendship Trays.
Currently: Board member, McCrorey Family YMCA;
chairman, Mecklenburg County Personnel Commission;
member, National Association of Church Business
Administrators.
Married to Debbie Rembert Holland.
two children.
Clifton A. “ Cliff” Pickett
’ 68 BS ’ 76 MEd UNCG ’ 81 EdS ASU
Linwood, N. C.
Retired teacher and school administrator
in Davidson County.
At WCU: WCU Marching Band member 1964- 67,
trumpet; 1966, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
Formerly: Gamma Epsilon, WCU alumni adviser 2001-
2003; member, Davidson County ARC 1991- 2000; board
member, N. C. ARC 1996- 98; board member, Catamount
Club 2002- 05.
Currently: Secretary and board member, Davidson
County Day Reporting Center 2000- present; member,
N. C. Credit Union board, Lexington branch 1996- 99,
2005- present; vice chairperson, WCU Family Association
2005- present; participant,
WCU Alumni Band, 2002- present.
Married to Jan Parnell- Pickett; one son, Joseph Pickett
’ 01 MHS ’ 07.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 24 University FALL 2007
Jesse R. Lankford Jr.
’ 69 BA ’ 73 MA ’ 87 MPA NCSU
Raleigh, N. C.
State archivist and records administrator, Department of Cultural
Resources; adjunct associate professor, public history graduate program,
N. C. State University.
At WCU: President, senior class; member, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity;
graduate assistant, department of history.
Formerly: Charter member, Academy of Certified Archivists; charter
member, Society of North Carolina Archivists; chair, scholarship committee,
State Employees’ Association of North Carolina, District 44, 2001- 05;
president, Eastern N. C. WCU Alumni Chapter, 1980- 81; member, executive
committee, WCU Alumni Board, 1993- 97; recipient, WCU Alumni Board
President’s Certificate of Appreciation, 1996; established the Linda Reep
Lankford Scholarship Fund for WCU education majors; recipient, Society
of North Carolina Archivists’ Thornton W. Mitchell Award 2006- 07 for
professional service; recipient, Governor’s “ Order of the Long Leaf
Pine” award for service to the state of North Carolina.
Currently: Member, Historical Society of North Carolina; member, N. C.
Literary and Historical Association; member, Society of N. C. Historians;
member, Phi Kappa Phi honor society ( N. C. State University chapter);
member, Pi Alpha Alpha honor society for public affairs and public
administration; archivist and historian for The Gardeners of Wake
County, 2002- 07; member, Council of State Archivists, 2003- 07.
J. Michael Naylor
’ 82 BSBA ’ 88 MBA
Raleigh, N. C.
Senior manager of human resources, Nortel.
Acting division chair, Saint Augustine’s College, manager- on- loan
from Nortel; lead team of 16 faculty and staff members.
At WCU: President, Organization of Ebony Students; senator, Student
Government Association; member, WCU Inspirational Choir; member,
Western Gold; resident assistant; member, Phi Beta Lambda.
Formerly: Building chair and finance officer for a $ 2 million building
project; coordinated pledge fundraiser campaign, 2001- 2003 ( raised
more than $ 250,000); secretary, vice president and president, N. C. Coop-erative
Education Association board of directors; secretary, vice president
and president, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Raleigh alumni chapter.
Currently: Treasurer, A. B. Combs Elementary School PTA, 2006- present;
member, steering committee, $ 6.3 million building project for Life
Community Church; executive director, Life Community Services, a
non- profit community outreach initiative, 2006- present; elder,
Life Community Church, Research Triangle Park, N. C.
Married to Shaun Berry Naylor ’ 86; one daughter, Kaileigh.
NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 3
( 3,382 WCU alumni): Bladen, Chatham, Columbus, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe,
Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Northampton,
Orange, Person, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Vance, Wake, Warren and Wilson counties.
( Vote for one. The top vote recipient will serve a three- year term, 2007- 10.)
Earl Crotts
’ 65 BSEd ’ 70 MAEd ’ 83 EdS
Southport, N. C.
Retired teacher and school administrator in Guilford County.
At WCU: Lettered in baseball, 1961- 1964.
Formerly: Member, WCU Alumni Board, 1970s and ’ 90s; coach,
American Legion Thoroughbred and Palomino baseball, 1966- 88;
president, Southport/ Oak Island Kiwanis Club, 2002- 03; Kiwanis lieutenant
governor, Division 26, 2005- 07; administrative board chair, Bessemer
Methodist Church; member, NCHSAA realignment committee, 1987- 92;
member, North Carolina Assessment Committee, 1983- 86; member,
Town of St. James planning committee, 2004- 05.
Currently: Member, Kiwanis Club, 1985- 2007; administrative board chair,
Trinity United Methodist Southport, 2004- 07; mentor, South Brunswick
Middle School, 2002- 07; member, WCU Dugout Club; member, WCU Loyalty
Fund, 1980s- present; member, WCU Catamount Club, 1970s- present.
Married to Julia Hall Crotts; two sons, Chuck and David ’ 99.
Keith M. Ramsey, MD
’ 73 BS ’ 77 MD UNC- Chapel Hill
Greenville, N. C.
Professor of medicine, the Brody School of Medicine
at East Carolina University.
At WCU: WCU Marching Band, 1969- 72; dorm representative,
1970- 71; Student Court, 1971- 72; chief justice, Student Court System,
1972- 73; president, WCU chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Formerly: Director of infectious diseases, University of South Alabama,
Mobile, Ala.; treasurer, Mobile Pops Band; co- founder of Dr. Donald
M. Ramsey Family Scholarship Fund, WCU department of biology.
Currently: Fellow, American College of Physicians; medical director
of infection control, Pitt County Memorial Hospital; member, N. C.
Public Health and Institutional Task Force for Best Practices.
Married to Ann- Marie Jung; three children.
NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 4
( 1,039 WCU alumni): Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck,
Dare, Duplin, Gates, Greene, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico,
Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington and Wayne counties.
( Vote for one. The top vote recipient will serve three- year terms, 2007- 10.)
John C. Anderson
’ 67 BA ’ 72 MAEd
Chapin, S. C.
Retired school and district administrator
in South Carolina.
At WCU: Member, Marching Band; member,
Concert Band; member, Jazz Band; member, Radio
Club; member, Pi Kappa Alpha.
Formerly: President, S. C. School Administrators
Association; president, S. C. High School League;
president, S. C. Secondary Principals Association;
president, S. C. Elementary Principals Association;
president, Chapin Ruritan Club; chairman, Chapin/
Irmo Relay for Life.
Currently: Deacon, Chapin Baptist Church, S. C.;
vice president, Chapin Rotary Club; co- coordinator,
Richland/ Lexington Special Olympics.
Married to Carol Stanislawski ’ 70; two sons.
OUT- OF- STATE
DISTRICT 5
( 15,300 WCU alumni). All states except North Carolina.
( Vote for one. The top vote recipient will serve a three- year term, 2007- 10.)
Board of Directors
Clifton P. Lambreth
’ 82 BSBA ’ 84 MBA
Brentwood, Tenn.
Manager, owners’ relations, Ford Motor Co.; chief
executive officer, Daniel Bradley Matthews Inc.;
public speaker and author.
At WCU: Member, Theta Xi fraternity; member,
Mortar Board Society; member, Western Gold;
member, SAGLA; part of mock United Nations
meetings ( represented Western regionally and
statewide); planned and helped organize School
of Business Week; graduate assistant, School of
Business; assisted on several PMI projects;
active in intramural sports, winning all- campus
in water polo, basketball and football; volunteer,
Special Olympic events for four years.
Formerly: Received five Ford Inuksuk Drive
for Leaders Awards and three Diversity
Leadership Awards.
Currently: Member, board of directors,
Family Foundation Fund; member, advisory
board, Lead Like Jesus Foundation; member,
advisory board, WCU College of Business.
Married to Susan Lambreth; three sons.
ELECTION 2007
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 25
Western will induct its 1949 championship football team
and a pair of 1950s graduates who had nationally recognized
coaching careers as the university holds its 18th Annual WCU
Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday, Nov. 17, prior to
the Catamounts’ football game with Southern Conference foe
Furman University.
The 1949 football squad will be the fourth WCU team to be
inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 1963 men’s basketball team,
the 1969 women’s basketball squad and the 1983 football unit
– all of which played in national championship games – were
enshrined in 2003.
Jim Garrison ’ 55 and Dave Bristol ’ 59 will be the first
recipients of the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame Career Achievement
Award. The new honor recognizes WCU graduates who have
distinguished themselves in athletics leadership positions.
The ’ 49 Catamounts won the North State Conference
championship, going unbeaten in league play and finishing
regular season play with an 8- 2 record. It was the first Western
football team to play in a postseason game – the Smoky
Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Va. Hall of Fame coach Tom Young
led the Catamounts to a sweep of conference rivals Appalachian
State, East Carolina and Lenoir- Rhyne and held them to a
combined 12 points. The team featured All- America lineman
Arthur “ Ott” Byrd ’ 50 and three other players – Dan Robinson
’ 50, Tommy “ Bromo” Selzer ’ 52 and Hugh “ Pee Wee”
Hamilton ’ 50 – who have been inducted into the WCU Athletics
Hall of Fame, and All- North Conference selections Hugh
Constance ’ 50, Ralph McConnell ’ 51 and Ralph “ Buffalo”
Humphries ’ 49.
Garrison transferred to Western from Gardner- Webb, then
a junior college, and played the 1953 and ’ 54 seasons for the
Catamounts as a halfback. He was an All- North Conference
selection and co- captain of the ’ 54 team. The native of
Weaverville became head football coach at Chowan College,
located in Murfreesboro, in 1958. He built that junior college
program into a national power and won 182 games in the
process, third all- time among the nation’s junior college coaches.
He is a member of four halls of fame – the National Junior
College Athletics Association, North Carolina Sports, Gardner-athletics
Jim Garrison ’ 55 Dave Bristol ’ 59
The Magazine of Western Carolina 26 University FALL 2007
Webb and Chowan. The football stadium at Chowan University
was named to honor Garrison’s career. He retired as
head coach after 43 seasons, but continues to serve as an
assistant football coach.
Bristol signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1951 and was
an infielder in the Reds’ minor league system for 11 seasons,
including five as player/ manager. While playing and managing
during the ’ 50s, he completed his undergraduate degree
requirements to graduate from WCU in 1959. He won five league
championships in nine years as a minor league manager and
coached numerous future Major League All- Stars, including
Pete Rose and Tony Perez. Bristol became Major League
Baseball’s youngest manager at 33 when he was named the Reds’
field boss in 1966. After four seasons in Cincinnati, he managed
the Milwaukee Brewers ( 1970- 72), Atlanta Braves ( 1976- 77)
and San Francisco Giants ( 1979- 80). He later coached for the
Philadelphia Phillies and Reds before retiring in 1993. The
veteran of 42 years of professional baseball was elected to the
Western North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Steve White ’ 67, who retired as WCU’s sports information director
in 1998, is the new director of the Cats “ W” Club, an organization
for former Western student- athletes.
The 1949 Catamount football team
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 27
A few hours before he was introduced as Western’s 10th
baseball coach, Bobby Moranda felt the need to go for a run
across campus to help calm his nerves on a morning the
longtime Georgia Tech associate head coach compared to his
wedding day.
“ Man, there are some serious mountains around here,”
Moranda told a crowd of about 100 on hand for the
announcement. “ I’d like to climb some serious elevation with
our players and our team at Western. That’s why I came here. I
want to go to the College World Series. The mountains around
here symbolize what we want to do in college baseball, which is
to climb to the top of the mountain. I would not have come here
if I did not think we could go to Omaha.”
Moranda takes over from Todd Raleigh ’ 91 MAEd ’ 94,
who guided the Catamounts to a share of the 2007 Southern
Conference regular championship and an at- large bid to the
NCAA baseball tournament before being hired as head coach
at the University of Tennessee. Moranda has nearly 21 years
of coaching experience – 18 of them in the Atlantic Coast
Conference. He spent the past six seasons as associate head
and pitching coach at Georgia Tech, where he served a vital
role in recruiting.
“ The search for a head baseball coach has been very difficult
and very fulfilling,” Chip Smith, WCU director of athletics, said.
“ There was a large and qualified pool of candidates, which is
attributable to the respect in which Western Carolina’s program
is held throughout college baseball. The tradition of Catamount
baseball is the product of countless baseball alumni, as well as
the current team, who have built a program that is committed
to winning with integrity.”
Moranda said he is looking forward to building upon a
tradition began by Jack Leggett ( now at Clemson) and continued
by Leggett protégés Keith LeClair ’ 89, who coached at East
Carolina University before succumbing to Lou Gehrig’s disease
last summer; Rodney Hennon ’ 93, now leading SoCon rival
Georgia Southern; and then Todd Raleigh. “ I am excited about
Bobby becoming the head coach at Western. I have always
known him to be a hard worker and the teams where he has been
– be it Virginia, Wake Forest or Georgia Tech – have always won.
He understands the tradition of Western baseball, and Western
made a great choice,” Leggett said.
Catamount fans seeking additional confirmation Moranda is
the right man for the job may consider it a sign that his first- ever
NCAA Division I base hit came as a member of visiting Eastern
Kentucky, playing at Childress Field in 1985. It was a home run.
Western baseball backers are hoping Moranda hits a homer in
his first head coaching job, too.
Bobby Moranda fields questions from the crowd as
he is announced as WCU’s head baseball coach.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 28 University FALL 2007
If you’re looking for a way to escape the chill of mid- December
by visiting a tropical island paradise, the Catamount Club
has just the ticket – and you’ll get to see the Lady Catamount
basketball team play in a high- profile tournament at the
same time. Coach Kellie Harper and her defending Southern
Conference champions are heading for Hawaii in December to
play in the Paradise Classic, and fans can back the Lady Cats
while enjoying a 10- day dream excursion.
Bill Richter, Catamount Club executive director, and SMS
Tours have put together a nine- day, three- island excursion for
Catamount supporters who want to experience the best Hawaii
has to offer while they also cheer on the Lady Cats. “ I spent
several glorious years working for the athletics department at
the University of Hawaii, and I look forward to serving as a
tour guide for our folks who would like to have the vacation of
a lifetime at an extremely affordable cost,” said Richter.
The total package, priced at $ 2,000 per person, includes all
airfares and hotel accommodations. The excursion departs from
Charlotte on Sunday, Dec. 9, and returns on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
It includes two days ( Dec. 9- 10) on the “ Big Island” of Hawaii,
where the group will tour Volcanoes National Park and its two
active volcanoes ( Kilauea and Mauna Loa) and stay in the resort
village of Kona at the Royal Kona Hotel. The group then will fly
to Maui on Dec. 11 and the port of Lahaina and stay two nights
at the Royal Lahaina Hotel, before heading to Honolulu on Oahu
for five nights at the Waikiki Beach Hotel.
The Lady Cats will play in the Paradise Classic, set for
Dec. 14- 17, at the University of Hawaii. In addition to host
school Hawaii, also taking part will be Tennessee Tech and
Oregon State. For more information, call Bill Richter at ( 828)
227- 2530 or toll free at ( 800) 492- 8496. Space is limited and seats
will be sold on a first- come, first- served basis.
Plans are already under way to coordinate a visit next year
to Alaska when the WCU men’s basketball team will
participate in t Kellie Harper displays the 2006- 07 championship trophy he Great Alaska Shootout.
earned by the Lady Catamounts basketball team.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 29
Brad DeWeese ’ 97 MHS ’ 03 used to run about 50 miles a
week just to get to spend time with then- WCU track standout
Jenny Lind Warfford ’ 00 MAEd ’ 06. “ Whenever she would run
around campus, around Speedwell or along the river, I would
run with her,” DeWeese said.
Today, they still run together. Only now, Jenny Lind
Warfford is kindergarten teacher Jenny Lind DeWeese,
and Brad is not only her husband but also her coach as
she trains for her most daunting race yet – the 2008
U. S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston in April.
She runs the races, but they are a team. Brad, a
health and wellness faculty member and strength
conditioning coach at the University of North
Carolina at Asheville, designs her workouts and,
for a portion, runs or rides a bicycle to set the pace.
“ We use the time to just catch up because we’ve
both been at work,” he said before one of her daily
afternoon runs at the North Carolina Arboretum.
“ Sometimes we talk about racing and running,”
she said. “‘ When does this trail end?’ ‘ I thought we’d
be there by now.’ ‘ There’s another hill.’ Other times we
just talk about what we’re going to do.”
By Teresa Killian
The Magazine of Western Carolina 30 University FALL 2007
Jenny Lind DeWeese ’ 00 MAEd ’ 06 and
Brad DeWeese ’ 97 MHS ’ 03 run together
at the N. C. Arboretum near Asheville ( top
photos) and in big- city marathons
( below), keeping manufacturers of
shoes and awards busy.
“ It mostly involves food or running,” he said, and they laughed.
As a couple, they consider how everything from the vegetarian
meals they cook to the marathons they enter will best prepare
Jenny Lind to vie for the privilege to represent the United States
in Beijing in 2008.
“ Going to the Olympics has been my goal since I started
running,” said Jenny Lind, who grew up in Siler City. In seventh
grade, she was a regular at the pizza parties thrown for students
who could run the most laps. On a whim, she entered a track
meet later that year. “ I ran the mile. I walked part of it, and I still
won. I just kind of got hooked on running” said Jenny Lind, who
the next year started training with the high school track team.
Coach Danny Williamson ’ 84 MAEd ’ 86 recruited
her to Western. “ Out of high school, she wasn’t labeled
as a superstar, but while she was at WCU, she worked
herself to that status. Her commitment, discipline
and desire to be the best was her daily driving force,”
said Williamson. Her collegiate awards include
Southern Conference Championship honors in the
10,000- meters.
When she set her sights on the marathon, Brad,
who coached track and field at UNCA before moving
into a faculty position, started developing her training
schedules, which average 100 miles a week. He pulled
from what he learned at Western pursuing his bachelor’s
degree in athletic administration and exercise science and
his master’s degree in nutrition.
“ I grew up in a sports family and knew I wanted to be
a coach,” said Brad. Although a high school football injury
permanently affected his right arm – his throwing arm,
Western’s then- baseball coach, Keith LeClair ’ 89, saw Brad
had a lot to offer and brought him on as a student coach. His
coaching career has grown from there, though coaching his wife
is different from working with other athletes.
“ There’s less ‘ telling’ and more listening. I can’t take the coach
hat off and put the husband hat on,” he said. At each marathon,
he updates her along the way about competition and her pace,
and gets a read on how she’s feeling. “ I’m a nervous wreck,” he
said. “ I’m focused on her, and I’m constantly thinking, ‘ What is
she going through?’”
Pain. Unbelievable pain, says Jenny Lind. “ It starts to feel
like you are going to fall over with each step.” At Jenny Lind’s
first marathon in Memphis, Tenn., in 2005, she was the first
female to cross the finish line. “ It was a real shocker. I think
Brad had a heart attack,” Jenny Lind said. Her second was the
Boston Marathon in 2006, and third the LaSalle Bank Chicago
Marathon in 2006, where her time qualified her for the Olympic
trials. She ran a fourth in Nashville, Tenn., earlier this year and
will run one more before Boston.
“ Marathon takes a lot out of you. That’s why we wait between
events,” she said. “ I am still learning and consider myself a
beginner at this event. I just want to give it my best shot.”
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 31
Jimmy White ’ 92 has had an interest in
motorsports ever since he was 7 years old. In
fact, White would sometimes get caught by his
mother when he was watching a race instead of
studying for the occasional algebra test. Despite
his mother’s remarks that racing wouldn’t get
him anywhere, White was determined to
prove otherwise.
That resolve is what he needed to become
media relations director for Camp &
Associates Inc., a Concord- based motorsports
communication firm that works with several
NASCAR teams. “ This is what I wanted to do. I
didn’t have a desire to do anything else,” he said.
On the job, White does “ a little bit of
everything,” from talking with drivers after they
slam into turn three to writing press releases
detailing the races. Through working with the
Raybestos Rookie of the Year program and hanging around the
garage, he is on a first- name basis with many top drivers, such
as Juan Pablo Montoya, a world- recognized driver whom White
characterizes as an international celebrity. “ To be able to have
the opportunity to develop a professional working relationship
with someone like Montoya, that’s unbelievable to me,” he said.
Just how did White get his foot in the door of the racing
industry? While studying in the English program at Western,
White was required to do an internship, and he could think of no
better place than NASCAR’s Motor Racing Network. He called
and wrote to the radio network’s president and general manager
until he finally got a response. White, the first intern ever for the
company, was invited to Daytona Beach, Fla., where he resided
from Labor Day to mid- December. “ A lot of people then were
doing on- campus internships with the English department or
sports information. But here I am, this poor college student,
staying in an ocean- front hotel in Daytona,” he said. “ I thought
it’d be good to get out of the area and learn that way.”
After college, White worked on his family’s farm and did
odd jobs as he searched for employment. Determined to make a
career in racing, he volunteered his free time for Motor Racing
Network at various race tracks. He’d arrive at the tracks early
on Sunday mornings and head to the press box. While receiving
four to five press kits a week, White got the idea to use the kits
as networking tools. “ I’d get a contact name out of there and
send them a resumé. First thing you know, I’m up to 100 to 110
resumés. By the end of the year, I had my resumé in the right
hands,” he said.
White said he feels lucky to be working in racing. “ There’s
a limited amount of people that are in a position to do it. It’s
something the ‘ ordinary Joe’ doesn’t get the opportunity to do,
and I’m fortunate to do it,” he said. “ If it hadn’t been for the
internship, I wouldn’t be doing what I am now. I know that
for a fact.”
Internship Program Puts
Race Fan in Driver’s Seat
By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
Life in the Fast Lane
Jimmy White ’ 92 ( right) presents the Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award
to Juan Pablo Montoya.
Photo by David Griffin/ NASCAR Scene magazine
The Magazine of Western Carolina 32 University FALL 2007
Tyra Sitton ’ 03 MPA ’ 05 didn’t know understeer from
underwear when she started her public relations career with the
American Le Mans Series, a road racing and endurance series
based on the world- famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sitton admits
she was “ wide- eyed as a deer in the headlights during a baptism
by fire” in March 2006, when she found herself surrounded by
more than 100,000 fans and working with 400 members of the
news media at the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the three largest
sports- car events on the planet.
“ This was my first time at any race track, much less one of the
biggest motorsports events in history. There were a lot of people
with just the race teams testing on the track, but then the fans
started coming, and they didn’t stop,” she said. “ There were
people everywhere, because the track opens to the public before
the green flag at each race. We literally had tens of thousands of
people on the actual race track, and I was in charge of making
sure they got off in time for the race to start.”
Among those people Sitton was in charge of shepherding to
safety was actor Patrick Dempsey from “ Grey’s Anatomy,” one
of her favorite television programs. “ Everything was happening
so fast I even told Dr. McDreamy to go to the wrong place at the
wrong time. The sad thing was, I didn’t know half of the drivers,
the cars they drove and the classes they raced in, and I was
charged with telling the announcer everything to say.”
Sitton and her co- workers now look back on her first week
and laugh. That’s because she quickly learned the ins and outs of
the sport to become a valued staff member. “ She used the skills
and expertise accumulated as a student and put them to work
in the world of motorsports,” said John Evenson, vice president
of communications and broadcasting, who studied at WCU
before transferring. “ What she starts she finishes, and in a very
professional and first- class manner.”
After less than a year on the job, Sitton was promoted to
director of public relations/ media services and promotions. Her
job now entails not only day- to- day media relations and media-driven
promotional activities, but also creating relationships
with national and international news media.
“ After graduating, I knew I wanted to find a job in public
relations where heavy travel was required. I’ve found exactly
what I wanted. Our schedule includes 12 races taking us
from the beaches of St. Petersburg, Fla., to the snow- capped
mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah, from bustling New York City
to beautiful Monterey, Calif., and everywhere in between,” she
said. “ Although I never banked on the long hours, the not- so-flattering
track wear and the unpredictable weather, I love every
aspect of my job. From writing for the Web site, to traveling and
meeting new people in new places all the time, I have found my
spot in the PR world.”
Alumna Shifts into High Gear
In American Le Mans Series
By BILL ST UDEN C
Tyra Sitton ’ 03 MPA ’ 05 races into action.
Photos courtesy of American Le Mans Series
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 33
Larry Hawkins ’ 96 works as general manager for the
Asheville Tourists baseball club, a job he loves in spite of the fact
that he once aspired to be a player rather than a businessman.
When an injury and other considerations put an end to his plans
to play in college, Hawkins put his plans for college on hold,
too. “ Once I realized I couldn’t play sports in college, I took a
landscaping job with my brother- in- law in Cashiers for a year,”
said Hawkins. “ I didn't know what I wanted to do.”
“ At the time, all I knew was that I loved sports, and all I
knew about sports was from the player’s side,” he said. “ But
Cheryl Contino- Conner ’ 88 at Southwestern Community
College pointed out careers in which I could stay in sports
in other ways.” Hawkins completed his first year at SCC and
then transferred to WCU. As part of the sports management
program, he interned at McCormick Field with owner and
then general manager Ron McKee. After graduation he
accepted a full- time position as stadium operations manager
with a club in Clearwater, Fla. Then in 1998, he got a phone
call from his mentor.
“ Ron called and asked if I wanted to come home,” Hawkins
said. “ It was an easy decision.” In his first job with the Tourists
baseball club, he was in charge of stadium operations and sales,
a position he held for two years. In 2000 he became assistant
general manager, working primarily in sales; then he was named
general manager in 2005.
According to Hawkins, life at the ballpark is varied,
interesting and sometimes time- consuming. “ On our home
game dates, we’ll work from 8 a. m. to as late as 1 a. m. the next
day,” he said. “ I love my job; the fun and hard work go hand in
hand. And how many people can say they go to a ballpark to
work every day? Besides being a player, it doesn’t get much
better than this.”
Story reprinted in edited form courtesy of Southwestern
Community College.
Alumnus Serves as General Manager
Of Asheville Tourists Baseball Club
Larry Hawkins ’ 96,
general manager of the
Asheville Tourists Baseball
Club, loves going to work
at McCormick Field. ( Photo
courtesy of Southwestern
Community College)
PROFESSIONAL TOURIST
Michael Paulk prepares to hit. ( Photo by Tony Farlow)
The Magazine of Western Carolina 34 University FALL 2007
Chances are good that you have heard Paul Turner’s voice on
a television or radio station and never realized you were listening
to a former WCU student who is one of the most sought- after
voice- over professionals in the country. Although Turner didn’t
graduate from WCU, he spent two years in Cullowhee studying
radio- television, and he gives tremendous credit to Western for
jumpstarting his career.
Turner became interested in broadcasting as a junior- high
student at Camp Laboratory School, when an assignment led
him to write a paper about a Catamount basketball announcer.
“ I got to sit beside him on press row at Reid Gymnasium,” he
said. “ It was like a dream come true. I had always been a huge
sports fan, but watching him do the play- by- play that one night
gave me that broadcasting bug immediately.”
As an eighth- grader, Turner was hanging around WWCU-FM,
Western’s student radio station. It wasn’t long before the
college students realized that the kid had plenty of talent even
at a young age, and allowed him to do live newscasts. By high
school, he was on the air at WWCU and WRGC- AM in Sylva.
Turner enrolled at Western in 1985 and began doing even more
work with WWCU.
“ You could call it a baptism by fire,” Turner said. “ Not every
campus radio station gives students the opportunity to actually
run the station. I did everything from newscasts to the morning
show to weekend interview shows. I think that is where I
definitely molded my radio skills, and I owe a lot to WCU for
that experience.”
By his junior year, Turner’s skills had caught the
attention of a Top 40 station in Asheville, and he was
hired to do the afternoon air shift and be the station’s
main commercial voice. The daily commute
proved too
difficult, so
he moved to
Asheville and
transferred to
UNC- Asheville.
Two years later,
he took a job
in Tampa, Fla.,
first as the main
imaging voice
at an adult
contemporary
station, and
later at a Top 40
station. His career took him next to
Detroit, where he did voice work for other radio stations
on the side. “ Before long, I was the main voice on about
10 large market radio stations, including Kansas City and
Cincinnati,” he said.
The ultimate job opportunity came in 1991 when
Turner was hired to be Infinity Broadcasting Group’s
main voice- over talent. One of Infinity’s stations was WXRK
in New York, home to an up- and- coming morning show disc
jockey named Howard Stern. Turner began doing voicework for
Stern’s show and the two become instant friends. Soon, Stern’s
immensely popular program was syndicated and Turner’s voice
was heard from coast to coast. Turner called working with Stern
the best break of his career.
He left Infinity Broadcasting in 1997 to launch his own
voice- over company, Paul Turner Productions, collecting an
impressive client list that includes NFL Films, CNN, FOX, NBC,
CBS, ABC, ESPN, Major League Baseball and Monday Night
Football. Mark Chernoff, vice president of sports for CBS Radio
and operations manager for New York’s WFAN, a pioneer of
sports radio, has been working with Turner for 15 years. “ When
I need a message delivered on the air, it’s Paul’s voice that breaks
through the clutter,” Chernoff said. “ He’s the best there is.”
Turner is now giving something back to the place where he got
his start, contributing vocal work for the introduction and for
opening and closing sponsor announcements for the Catamount
Sports Network, said Daniel Hooker ’ 01, WCU assistant athletic
director for media relations.
Jeff Bryson is a familiar voice to Western sports fans, as he has
worked as the public address announcer at the Catamount’s home
football games since 1998.
TURNER, BROADCASTING By JEFF BRYSON
I got to sit on press row at
Reid Gym. I had always been a
huge sports fan, but watching
the play- by- play that night
gave me that broadcasting
bug immediately.
– Paul Turner
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 35
After four interviews with Johnson & Johnson, Errol Kilgore
’ 99 didn’t get the temporary “ college overhire” position for
which he and hundreds of applicants interviewed. Instead,
a Johnson & Johnson company surprised Kilgore with an
offer for a permanent, full- time job in Winston- Salem as a
pharmaceutical representative.
“ A week after I walked across the stage at graduation, they
called to offer me the position. My mom and grandmother were
sitting in the living room, and I was jumping up and down with
excitement,” said Kilgore. “ I was the first person in my family to
graduate from college, and I was going to work for a Fortune 500
company. I was elated.”
Eight years later, Kilgore’s career continues to be peppered
with accolades, national awards including “ Rookie of the Year”
and “ Sales Excellence,” and promotions that recently landed him
in the Chicago area as a district manager for Johnson & Johnson
company PriCara.
His first job as a pharmaceutical representative gave him
experience calling on health care professionals to talk about
appropriate use and insurance coverage of medications. He
saw his role as an educator about the difference that medical
innovations can make and as a representative of those who
worked to develop the innovations. “ About a dozen times, people
who I have never met have literally come up to me after seeing
the name of a drug on my bag
and thanked me,” said
Kilgore. “ It made me
feel good to know
that the medications and devices that I represented helped
people who had debilitating conditions be able to do common
activities like cooking and walking again – activities that we
often take for granted.”
Kilgore then moved into a job as an account specialist for a
medical device division of Johnson & Johnson. He introduced
gastroenterologists to a new capsule camera that allowed
patients to swallow a capsule, about the size of a large vitamin
pill, that had a camera inside. His success led to another
promotion as market development manager before Kilgore
accepted a job at another Johnson & Johnson company as
a Chicago- area based district manager supervising eight
pharmaceutical representatives.
“ I have an appreciation to WCU for equipping me with
the skills to be successful,” said Kilgore. At Western, Kilgore
majored in industrial distribution and was active with Alpha Phi
Alpha fraternity, student retention initiative Project C. A. R. E,
the Black Educational Support Team and the Inspirational
Choir. Kilgore received the 1999 Henry Lewis Suggs Award, the
university’s highest and most prestigious cultural diversity and
humanitarian award.
“ I used to hear the saying, ‘ If you love what you do then you’ll
never work a day in your life,’” he said. “ Although it would be an
exaggeration to say that I don’t feel like I’m working, I can truly
say that I enjoy my career.”
MEDICAL BEST SELLER
By TERESA KILLIAN Achi evements
alumni
Errol Kilgore ’ 99 takes in the Chicago skyline.
Photo by Raishon Lewis Photography The Magazine of Western Carolina 36 University FALL 2007
Although work and family responsibilities prevented Kathy
Lance from completing her degree in business in 1977, that
certainly hasn’t stopped the Waynesville woman from finding
success in the insurance industry. The owner of the L. N.
Davis Co. and the third generation of her family to run the
agency, Lance is winding up a term this fall as president of the
Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina.
Lance is the first woman in the history of the organization
elected as its president. She is following in the footsteps of her
father, Paul L. Davis, in more ways than one as he served as
president of IIANC in 1958, when Lance was only 4 years old.
For more than 40 years until his death in 1990, Davis managed
the insurance agency founded in 1933 by Lance’s grandfather,
Lawson Newton Davis.
In addition to holding several offices and serving on numerous
committees for IIANC, a professional trade association
representing independent insurance agencies across the state,
Lance also is active in her community and church, currently
serving on the Haywood County Schools Foundation and Laurel
Community Children Choir boards. She is a past president of
the Haywood County Insurance Women, the Greater Haywood
County Chamber of Commerce and REACH of Haywood
County, former member of the Haywood Community College
Foundation Board, and a former leader with the Pisgah Girl
Scout Council.
As members of the IIANC, Lance and husband Gary Lance
’ 80 have been key figures in helping launch the Independent
Insurance Agents of North Carolina Scholarship Fund in WCU’s
College of Business, said Jim Manring ’ 74 MBA ’ 76. “ Kathy
and Gary have been among the most active and loyal supporters
of Western,” Manring said. “ Kathy is a former president of the
Catamount Club, and together they have jointly and effectively
served as formal and informal chairs of the Haywood County
alumni chapter efforts for many years. Western is fortunate to
have alumni, friends and supporters like Kathy and Gary Lance.”
Initiated in 1997 with a gift of $ 50,000 and supplemented by
additional contributions over the years, the IIANC scholarship
fund now tops $ 100,000. “ We are very appreciative for the
CHANGE AGENT
By BILL ST UDEN C
dedication of the independent agents to the educational process
and the assistance this provides to our students,” said Leroy
Kauffman, former dean of the College of Business. “ Since its
inception, we have provided $ 21,900 in scholarships to 21
students. We are very grateful to the Independent Insurance
Agents of North Carolina for their support in providing an
excellent education for our students.”
Achi evements
Insurance executive Kathy Lance runs the family business.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 37
FAITHFUL
COMPANION
By TERESA KILLIAN
Campus Minister Shares Talents
Statewide After Retirement
The Rev. Wanda Kidd ’ 77 sees a lot of optimism and
eagerness to make a difference in the young adults she meets
through campus ministry at WCU. Then, as Kidd gets to
know the students, she notices their talents and strengths,
and makes a point to tell them individually what she sees
in them. “ Young adults need to know they have value and
purpose,” said Kidd. “ Helping them know what they can do
– empowering them – is a big part of what we are about.”
That practice is one that Kidd, who retired this summer
after 13 years with WCU’s Baptist Student Union, will share
statewide as college ministry consultant for the Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.
Only about a dozen Southern Baptist women were
ordained ministers when Kidd was a home economics
student at Western in the 1970s, and she credits professors
at Western for helping her see that she, too, could be
one of them. After learning of Kidd’s interest, one of her
professors, Wilma Cosper, encouraged her to research the
topic of women ministers for her senior seminar project.
Kidd returned unable to find much information when, to
her amazement, Cosper opened a file of brochures and
articles she had collected on the subject. “ Dr. Cosper was
a big part in giving validity to my interest in becoming a
woman minister,” said Kidd. Then- campus minister at the
Baptist Student Union, Joe David Fore, also supported her.
“ Of course you can do this,” Kidd said he told her.
Kidd earned her master’s degree in divinity from
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate
of ministry from Drew Theological Seminary. She was
ordained in 1983 and returned to Cullowhee, where she
worked as an intern and staff member at area churches.
Kidd launched what has grown into the Jackson County
Christmas Store, a program that helps families that need
financial assistance purchase gifts. Members of the WCU
community support the program annually through the
Angel Tree initiative.
In the Baptist Student Union’s small sanctuary decorated
with framed messages such as “ We all grow better in
sunshine and love” and “ Peace be with you,” Kidd says her
relationships with students are what she will miss most.
And, she will be missed, says Melissa Calhoun, a junior
from Lexington and co- president of the BSU. “ When she
shakes your hand and says, ‘ Hi! I’m Wanda Kidd! Where
are you from?’ there’s something about the way she looks at
you that makes you feel she’s sincerely glad to meet you and
interested in getting to know you,” said Calhoun. “ I love
Wanda. She has a heart for students. She really cares about
them. She knows them.”
Retired Baptist Student
Union minister
Wanda Kidd ’ 77
isn’t slowing down.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 38 University FALL 2007
alumni
Achi evements
Clifton Lambreth ’ 82 MBA ’ 84 realized he might be sending
his 23- year career with Ford Motor Company into the proverbial
ditch with the June release of his book, “ Ford and the American
Dream: Founded on Right Decisions,” but instead of being
ousted, Lambreth was invited to lunch by the automaker’s chief
executive officer.
A retail marketing manager for Ford, Lambreth set about
writing his critique of the auto giant after news of a potential
bankruptcy came out in December 2006. In his fictional
account, the main character, who happens to be a Western
graduate, is transported back in time to the
early 20th century and dines with Henry
Ford at the company founder’s Michigan
residence, Fairlane Manor. The two
discuss the problems ailing the once- great
automaker, and how to get it back on the
right road.
Lambreth sent the first copy of the book
to come off the press to Ford’s top officer,
Alan Mulally.
“ I firmly believe that Ford can and will
return to the vision and principles the
company was founded on,” Lambreth said.
“ When I got a call from headquarters, I
braced for what destiny had in store. The call
was from Mulally himself. He said he loved
the book and that it illustrated the best turn-around
recovery plan he had ever read, and he
invited me for lunch.”
The two met for lunch at – where else?
– Fairlane Manor. “ Just for a second, I could imagine Henry Ford
was there with us, smiling,” Lambreth said. “ Mulally was keenly
receptive to openly discussing issues facing the company.”
Lambreth has been consistently recognized as a top performer
during his tenure with Ford. Armed with his two business
administration degrees from WCU, he went to work for the
automaker in 1984 as a customer service representative.
Now, in addition to his duties at Ford, Lambreth serves
as chief executive officer of Daniel Bradley Matthews Inc.,
a marketing consulting firm that serves country
music artists and nonprofit fundraising
organizations. He also serves on the advisory board of
Western’s College of Business and on the boards for the
Family Foundation Fund and Lead Like Jesus Foundation. A
competitive runner and veteran of several marathons, Lambreth
lives with his wife and three sons in Brentwood, Tenn.
“ Ford and the American Dream” was published by Executive
Books of Mechanicsburg, Penn., with Mary Calia and Melissa
Webb as co- authors, and art by Igor Babailov.
For more information about Lambreth’s book, go to
www. TheFordBook. com.
AUTO DETAILING
Ford Motor Company Executive
Pens Fictional Look at Automaker
By RAN DALL HOL COMBE
Clifton Lambreth ’ 82 MBA ’ 84 is author of a book
about the Ford Motor Co.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 39
The old saying “ a bad day fishing is
better than a good day at the office”
doesn’t apply to Sylva native Josh
Stephens ’ 00. That’s because for the
criminal justice major, the office IS
the nearest fishing hole. A member
of the United States Fly Fishing Team
– yes, there is such a thing – Stephens
fishes every chance he gets, and also
competes in tournaments around
the world.
Of the 15 members of the U. S.
team, Stephens is one of the youngest.
He was offered a spot by Coach Jack Dennis, who in 2005 was
a commentator for the “ Best of the West” casting competition.
Stephens won the tournament’s qualifying round with a cast of
102 feet, 9 inches, and was automatically eligible for the finals in
Salt Lake City, Utah. While off- camera in Utah, Dennis invited
Stephens to Redmond, Ore., to try out.
Stephens reeled in the big one – a place on the team. This
past June, Stephens and seven other U. S. teammates traveled to
Finland to compete in the 27th FIPS- Mouché World Fly Fishing
Championships. “ Each person has his own style of fishing he’s
good at,” he said. “ I was chosen for Finland because it’s big water,
nymph fishing ( under the surface). I’m better at that.”
After several practice days adjusting to conditions and
preparing flies, the team was a strong competitor against squads
from 24 other countries, placing sixth overall and beating its
personal record of 10th from the previous year in Portugal.
Stephens has participated in other competitions, including the
televised 2001 ESPN2 Great Outdoor Games in Spruce Creek,
Pa.; the 2002 Great Outdoor Games in Vail, Colo.; and the
2003 Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colo. He hosted a regional
tournament in Cherokee in August, and in October hopes to
compete in a national championship in Boulder, Colo. Recently,
Stephens has started focusing on dry- fly fishing, a different style
than he’s used to, to prepare for next year’s world championships
in New Zealand.
While he’s not practicing with the team or fishing the
Tuckaseigee and Nantahala rivers, Stephens keeps busy with
his erosion control and container business in Robbinsville. He
began working at Highland Hikers in Cashiers, which proved
to be helpful during his college days in a fly fishing class for a
physical education elective. “ It was a casting class, and most of
it was in the physics part of casting,” Stephens said. “ The whole
instructing thing had already been introduced to me at Highland
Hikers, so I ended up teaching half of the class.”
Stephens has worked with Wit’s End Ranch in Durango, Colo.,
for four years, guiding and taking high- country fly fishing trips.
For more than a year, he trained people to instruct safety classes
while at the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, but decided
the job just wasn’t the right match for him. “ There is no way I can
wear a tie and a military- pressed shirt and the shiny shoes every
day,” Stephens said. “ It was great, but it was not me.”
CASTING CALL
Grad Lands Spot on U. S. Fly Fishing Team
By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
Members of the U. S. fly fishing team are ( from right),
Josh Stephens ’ 00, Lance Egan, Brian Capsay,
George Daniel, Anthony Naranja and Jim Hickey.
Josh Stephens ’ 00
Nordic Pro Fly Fishing
Courtesy of Brian Capsay
The Magazine of Western Carolina 40 University FALL 2007
alumni
Achi evements
MAKING THE NEWS
By JOHN KENYON
Most people do not remember the exact date when they chose
their career path, but Leighton Grant ’ 03 does – Sept 11, 2001.
“ Watching the coverage of 9/ 11 made me decide I wanted to
go into news,” said Grant. “ It made me realize how powerful
news could be.”
Grant has proven to be a powerful news photographer in his
short career. This year alone, he received two regional Emmy
Awards and three Associated Press Awards for his work with
WLOS News 13, the ABC affiliate in Asheville.
He won a “ Best Feature” Emmy for the package “ Magic Man,”
a story about Ricky Boone, a magician in Weaverville who was
born with a rare bone disease and has been in a wheelchair his
whole life. Boone owns a magic store and is an inspiration to
others through his shows and uplifting attitude, said Grant.
The second Emmy was for his coverage of the funeral of Mitch
Carver, a U. S. Army pilot killed when his reconnaissance
helicopter crashed near Mosul, Iraq.
Collecting a pair of regional Emmy Awards in a single year
would be a lifetime achievement for most news photographers,
but Grant also claimed three Associated Press awards – “ Best
Photography in North Carolina,” “ Best Feature” and “ Honorable
Mention Spot News.”
Although Grant didn’t decide to pursue a career in news
until the Sept. 11 tragedies, he always knew he was going into
the video business. “ While still a student, Leighton purchased
a professional- grade camera and video- editing software and
was working freelance, shooting sports footage and selling
it to television stations,” said Donald Connelly, acting head
of the department of communication. “ He had style and
professionalism you don’t often find in a student.”
Grant remembers working in the field on a video project at
Western as a pivotal experience toward his career. “ You got to
use the equipment and get out there with the burden of having a
project with a deadline,” he said. “ If you have the self- motivation
and drive to tell a story, WCU has the resources to visually
capture stories. Students are using the same equipment that is
industry- standard for local news.”
His professors say they saw his talent early on. “ I knew
Leighton was going to be successful because he had an incredible
thirst for knowledge and wanted to be involved in everything,”
said Connelly. Padraig Acheson, director of studio operations for
WCU’s department of communication, agreed. “ I clearly recall
his desire to learn and excel, and was impressed with his self-taught
ability to shoot and edit video,” Acheson said.
“ Shortly after college, he landed a position with WBTV,
the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, an incredibly good start for
a beginner. In a very short time, he has become a principle
photographer and satellite news- gathering truck operator for
WLOS with numerous awards under his belt,” said Acheson.
That’s a wrap on a pretty good y Leighton Grant ’ 03 accepts an Emmy Award. ear for Leighton Grant.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 41
1964
In February, Wesley Hill MAEd,
superintendent of the Demopolis
( Ala.) City School System, received
the Demopolis Chamber of
Commerce lifetime award for his
27- year commitment to advancing
the level of learning and success
of the community. “ Much of Hill’s
success can be based on the tenet
he subscribes to in his career: ‘ Make
a difference every day,’” said Alex
Braswell, chairman of the chamber’s
board. “ I never really expected or
thought about wining the award,”
said Hill. “ This is kind of like my
Super Bowl.”
1972
Lynn Hotaling MAEd ’ 79
( above right), editor of The Sylva
Herald, won the 2007 N. C. Bar
Association Media and the Law
Award in the non- daily division.
Judging for the awards is based
on accurate, informative coverage
of law- related issues that fosters
greater public understanding of
the legal system and the role of
lawyers in society. Hotaling won the
award for her article “ Judge Rules
for Airport Authority in Suit Against
County.” “ Lynn has worked hard to
provide balanced news coverage
for the past 11 years,” said Herald
Publisher Steve Gray. “ I think this
award is more evidence of her
commitment and hard work.”
1974
Mickey Pettus recently was
promoted to vice president of
supply chain custom services at
VHA Inc. in Irving, Texas. VHA Inc.
is a health care provider alliance
of more than 2,400 not- for- profit
health care organizations. With
more than 32 years of experience
in the health care industry, Pettus
has held key leadership roles
with Owens and Minor, Abbott
Laboratories, Whittaker General
Medical and Baxter Travenol
Laboratories. He operated his
own consulting business for
supply chain services following
his 2003 retirement from Abbott
Laboratories.
Assistant professor of public
relations at Lee University in
Cleveland, Tenn., Patty Silverman
received a Jean Ritchie Fellowship
of more than $ 20,000 from the
Appalachian College Association,
which funded research for
her dissertation, “ Persuasion
Strategies, Motivational Factors
and Obstacles: Influences in the
Evolutional Transition from Public
Relations Practitioner to Professor.”
Silverman’s research included
interviews with faculty who have
transitioned from PR practitioners
to PR faculty and included
Western’s own Debra Connelly,
a communication faculty member
since 2000. A teacher at Lee since
2000, Silverman has 20 years of
public relations experience. She
received her doctorate in May from
the University of Tennessee.
1976
Don Leonard, co- owner of
Crown Sport Sales Inc., recently
was elected president of the
Sporting Goods Agents Association,
an organization of independent
sporting goods sales agents in the
United States. He and his partner
in Richmond, Va., started the
business in 1988. Leonard and wife
Joanna Leonard MAEd live in
Mooresville and have two children
and two grandchildren.
1982
In May, Oliver P. Walker ( above)
was appointed vice president
of operations for Covenant
Retirement Communities Inc. in
Chicago, where he implements
special program initiatives to
assure the performance and
quality improvement of CRC’s
14 continuing- care retirement
communities that serve 5,000
residents nationwide. With 20 years
of experience in the health care
industry, Walker has worked in both
acute- care and aging services.
1984
Col. Larry “ Pepper” Jackson
recently assumed his first command
as a full colonel in South Korea, his
first assignment there. Most recently
he attended the Naval War College
in Newport, R. I. He began his career
as an armor officer, serving in the
first Gulf War as an armor company
commander. He later served as
commander of the 4th Infantry
Division’s 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor
Regiment during Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Jackson and his wife have
a son and a daughter.
1985
In February, Amanda J. Mesler
was appointed North American
chief executive of LogicaCMG, an
information technology and business
process outsourcing, systems
integration and business consulting
company. Mesler is responsible
for developing and executing the
company’s growth strategy in
the North American market. In
her 22- year career, she has held
senior positions at EDS, where she
headed the global energy industry
group; Bearing Point, where she
was partner and managing director
of the oil and gas practice; and
General Electric, where she was
Asia Pacific market manager. Most
recently she was vice president of
strategy and organization design at
SYSCO, a food service marketer
and distributor. She lives in Houston
with her husband and three children.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 42 University FALL 2007
When nearly 200 former members of the Western
marching band and other musical ensembles gather on campus
in November for the annual WCU Alumni Band weekend,
they might as well plan on being greeted at the door by
Bob Buckner ’ 67, with membership applications for “ Partners
for Pride” in hand.
Buckner, WCU’s director of athletics bands, is among the
organizers of the new alumni band group that is designed to help
support Western’s bands and student musicians. The nascent
organization, which is currently working on finalizing its bylaws
and getting other housekeeping matters in order, is looking to
the weekend of Nov. 16- 17 to officially launch Partners for Pride.
The weekend will begin Friday, Nov. 16, with the annual
Marching Band Concert held in the Ramsey Regional Activity
Center. The 7 p. m. concert by the Pride of the Mountains
Marching Band will include the band’s 2007 pre- game and
halftime shows, with special performances highlighting each
of the band’s musical sections. A reception for band members
– past and present – alon

BLUEPRINT
FOR THE FUTURE
Campus Building
Boom Continues
BEST IN CLASS
Education Program
Wins National Honor
Fall
2007
T h e Mag a z i n e o f We s t e r n C a ro l i n a U n i v e r s i t y
Western Carolina sophomore sensation Liz
Rondone, tabbed a “ Rising Star” in women’s
college volleyball by a national publication last
season, drops for the dig during intercollegiate
action in the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.
Rondone and the Catamounts are headed into
the homestretch of Southern Conference play
leading up to the conference tournament
Nov. 16- 18 in Chattanooga, Tenn.
EYE ON THE PRIZE
Cover Story
Features
4 Best in Class
Teacher Education Program
Collects Another National Award
12 Up- and- Coming Attractions
Students Sharpen Career Focus
Through Internships on Movie Set
22 House of Slitherin’
Researchers Work to Preserve
Misunderstood Timber Rattlers
Western Carolina University
Chancellor John W. Bardo
Vice Chancellor Clifton B. Metcalf
Advancement and
External Affairs
Associate Vice Chancellor Leila Tvedt
Public Relations
Managing Editor Bill Studenc
Associate Editor Teresa Killian
Art Director Rubae Sander
Chief Photographer Mark Haskett ’ 87
Contributing Writers Jeff Bryson
Jess Clarke
Jessica Cregger ’ 07
Randall Holcombe
Daniel Hooker ’ 01
John Kenyon
Leila Tvedt
Steve White ’ 67
Class Notes Editor Dianne Yount ’ 79
Designers John Balentine
Katie Martin
Contributing Photographer Ashley T. Evans
Production Manager Loretta R. Adams ’ 80
Construction Junction
New Facilities to Open as
Campus Makeover Continues
T h e M a g a z i n e o f W e s t e r n C a r o l i n a U n i v e r s i t y Western
Fall 2007
Volume 11, No. 4 8 The Magazine of Western Carolina University is
produced by the Office of Public Relations in the
Division of Advancement and External Affairs
for alumni, faculty, staff, friends and students of
Western Carolina University.
8 12
4
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
The third time proved the charm for
Western’s College of Education and
Allied Professions, 2007 co- winner of the
Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher
Education Award presented annually
by the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities. For the past
three years, Western has been among
the national finalists for the award,
named in honor of Christa McAuliffe,
the astronaut/ teacher who died when the
space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly
after liftoff in January 1986.
“ Our philosophy of teacher
preparation at Western is in alignment
with Christa McAuliffe’s often- quoted
motto ‘ I touch the future. I teach,’” said
Michael Dougherty, dean of the College
of Education and Allied Professions.
“ Through our ongoing work with our
many public school partners across
Western North Carolina, we know we
are living up to her legacy. By preparing
and nurturing high- quality teachers
who work in our schools and make a
difference in pupil learning, we play a
role in shaping the young people who
represent the future of our region, our
state and our nation.”
The McAuliffe award is the second
national recognition for Western’s
teacher education program in the
past two years. The Association of
Teacher Educators presented its 2006
Distinguished Program in Teacher
Education award, given to teacher
Teacher Education Program Wins National Christa McAuliffe Award
By BIL STUDENC
education programs that exhibit
outstanding collaboration with local
school systems, to WCU in recognition
of the success of its School- University
Teacher Education Partnership, better
known as SUTEP.
Western Chancellor John W. Bardo
said the national honors provide
important, independent validation of
the strength of the university’s teacher
education program. “ I can think of
no stronger evidence of the efforts of
our faculty, staff, students and school
partners than for Western to win two
national awards for its teacher education
program within two years. That is
unheard of,” Bardo said. “ We are facing
serious shortages across the state and
nationally in the number of qualified
teachers needed to help ensure that our
children are prepared for careers in an
increasingly global economy. I hope
these awards will increase the number
of teacher education majors at Western.
I am convinced that no institution
prepares teachers better than Western
– period.”
SUTEP is part of WCU’s effort to
improve the academic achievement of
students in all grade levels by providing
assistance to educators at each step in
their development – as student teachers,
as they first enter the teaching profession,
and as they reach the middle of their
careers and seek additional professional
development. Established in 1997 as
one of 14 such partnerships in North
Carolina, SUTEP has formal agreements
with 96 schools in 18 WNC school
systems and informal partnerships
with the remaining school systems and
charter schools in the region, said Ruth
McCreary, director of SUTEP since 2001.
Through the partnership, which also
involves faculty from WCU’s College
of Arts and Sciences, educators from
local systems help provide a “ real- world
classroom” perspective to students
in the university’s teacher education
program. Teachers serve as clinical
faculty, co- teaching selected courses with
WCU instructors in an effort to blend
theory and practice, and as cooperating
teachers working with faculty members
on education research projects. Local
school systems also provide traditional
pre- service field experience for WCU’s
student teachers.
The Western Hemisphere
‘ I touch the future. I teach.’
– Christa McAuliffe
The Magazine of Western Carolina University FALL 2007
Student teacher April Hicks works with a
kindergarten class at Smokey Mountain
Elementary School in Whittier as part
of Western’s award- winning teacher
education program.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
Two of WCU’s online programs recently appeared in national
rankings. The September issue of Fortune Small Business
magazine listed Western’s online master’s degree program in
entrepreneurship as one of the five best online entrepreneurship
programs in the nation, while distance education information
clearinghouse GetEducated. com gave WCU’s online bachelor’s
degree program in criminal justice a No. 1 national ranking
in affordability.
“ Distance education is all about making education more
accessible, especially for working adults in need of career-specific
higher education,” said Vicky Phillips, the founder
WEB CITE
Two Online Programs Achieve
National Ranking Recognition
By RANDAL HOLCOMBE
of GetEducated. com. “ The cost of college is a huge inhibiting
factor for most Americans. Western Carolina University is to
be lauded for taking the initiative in making higher education
more affordable, and therefore more accessible, for learners in
North Carolina.”
The listing of WCU’s online Master of Entrepreneurship
Program among the “ 56 top schools for would- be tycoons”
was included in Fortune Small Business and online at
CNNMoney. com, the Internet home of Fortune Small
Business and three other business magazines.
Fortune Small Business compiled its lists of top schools
for entrepreneurship after seven months of interviews with
entrepreneurs, professors, students, alumni, university
administrators and venture capitalists. WCU was the only
university in North Carolina recognized for its online program.
The magazine notes that WCU’s entrepreneurship faculty
members address topics ranging from small- business finance
to how best to protect a company from fraud, and that students
are required to take part in an online business discussion with a
professor and classmates at least twice a week.
“ The objective of our program is to help our students take an
idea for starting a business and be able to create a sustainable
venture by the time they graduate,” said Frank Lockwood,
director of the master’s degree program. “ A big majority of
our graduates either expand their existing companies or start
a new company.”
GetEducated. com listed Western’s online bachelor’s degree
program in criminal justice first among a group of 10 “ best buys”
based on a survey of 35 regionally accredited universities that
offer bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice, law, legal studies and
homeland security through distance education.
North Carolina students who enroll in WCU’s program
pay about $ 9,000 for the program, while the average cost for a
bachelor’s degree in the justice area is above $ 38,000, according
to the GetEducated. com survey.
Entrepreneurship graduate student Coburn Gardner attends
class from his front porch.
The Western Hemisphere Record enrollment makes
for a bustling campus.
The Magazine of Western Carolina University FALL 2007
The 2007 fall semester registration rolls are closed and the numbers
are in – overall student enrollment at Western has topped 9,000 for
the first time in the institution’s history, with significant growth in the
number of community college transfers and graduate students. Keith
Stiles ’ 91 ’ 97 MBA ’ 93 MA ’ 01, senior research analyst in the Office
of Institutional Research and Planning, reported that WCU’s total
student headcount is 9,055 this fall.
“ We are seeing significant trends that tell us a lot about the
direction of the university,” Chancellor John W. Bardo said. “ We
have experienced an increase of about 27 percent in the number of
community college transfers this fall, and the number of students
taking courses through distance education programs is up about
20 percent.”
Overall graduate school enrollment, which includes both traditional
and distance education classes, has increased to 1,945 students this
Steve Warren ’ 80, after completing two consecutive one- year
terms as chair of Western’s board of trustees, recently passed
the gavel to Joan MacNeill of Webster. The board unanimously
approved MacNeill, a community leader and entrepreneur, as its
chair for the next year. Election of officers and administration
of the oath of office for new board member Teresa H. Williams
of Huntersville came earlier this year as part of the board’s first
meeting of the 2007- 08 academic year.
“ This is a great honor and a great privilege,” MacNeill told
the trustees. “ I started on Western’s Foundation Board 10 years
ago, and this university has become my passion. I appreciate
your confidence and your trust, as I have some very big shoes to
fill. It’s an exciting time to be at Western, and I look forward to
working together as the university moves forward.”
Although board bylaws stipulate that Warren step down
as chair, he won’t be going far. His fellow trustees tapped him
to remain in a leadership role as vice chair of the board.
Former Asheville Mayor Charles Worley was elected to
serve as secretary.
MacNeill is co- founder and former president and chief
operations officer for the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. A
former nurse, she previously served with the Garden Club of
Sylva and is treasurer of the Downtown Sylva Association.
Prior to the election of officers, District Court Judge Danny
Davis ’ 75 administered the oath of office to the newest board
member, Teresa Williams, and to five reappointed board
members, including Warren and Worley.
A community leader in Mecklenburg County, Williams is
a former member of the board of visitors for the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and former board member and
vice chair for the Chapel Hill- Carrboro City Schools Board of
Education. She was appointed by then- Gov. Jim Martin to the
Mecklenburg County School Building Solutions Committee,
and has been active with the United Way. She was appointed
to the WCU board by the University of North Carolina Board
of Governors.
Re- appointed to the WCU board by Gov. Mike Easley are
Worley, an Asheville attorney; and Rosemary Wyche of Raleigh,
former vice president of North Carolina Citizens for Business
and Industry. Re- appointed to the board by the University
of North Carolina Board of Governors are Robert Burgin of
Asheville, recently retired chief executive officer of Mission
Hospitals; Gerald Kiser ’ 69 of Columbia, S. C., president of
Paladin Interiors and Design; and Warren, an Asheville attorney
and outgoing chair of the board of trustees.
PASSING THE GAVEL
Trustees Elect Officers,
Welcome Newest Member
By BIL STUDENC
HERE WE GROW AGAIN
Student Enrollment Tops 9,000 To Set New Record
Teresa Williams
fall, up 230 from last year’s enrollment. Bardo attributed much of the
increase in community college transfer enrollment to the Western
2- Step program, a cooperative agreement launched in May that aligns
course requirements at WCU and all 58 community colleges across
North Carolina so that students will know exactly what to expect when
they transfer to Western.
Enrollment for first- time freshmen is down slightly, but the overall
grade- point average for entering freshmen is 3.35, up from last year’s
GPA of 3.26.
“ We are making a decided effort to bring our admission standards
up,” Bardo said. “ When we enroll the right type of students – those
who are better prepared academically and who are a better ‘ fit’ with the
university – they will be more likely to stay in school and remain on
track to graduate.”
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
Watching Helder Residence Hall come down this
summer to make way for a new dining hall was bittersweet
for Brenda Holcombe ’ 94, who lived in Helder for four
years. The building held a lot of memories. Holcombe
remembers getting cheese sticks from The Townhouse
Restaurant to share with hallmates as they piled into one
room to watch “ Doogie Howser, M. D.” and “ Mad About
You.” She remembers children in day care taking short trips
to see the characters that decorated Helder’s “ Disney Hall.”
Yet, Holcombe, now senior associate director in the Office
of Undergraduate Admission, also gets excited describing
to prospective students the more than $ 65 million in
construction and renovation projects under way: a new
dining hall featuring a Starbucks and McAlister’s Deli and
outdoor café- style seating; a student recreation center with
amenities including an indoor track and comprehensive
rock climbing wall; and a science building with state- of-the-
art labs.
“ The plans for the new facilities are phenomenal,” said
Holcombe. “ They will bring many of the resources and
amenities to Western that students today are looking for
in a college campus and will truly enhance the overall
experience for our students.”
Construction Junction
What's Your Function
By fall of next year, barring construction delays, two
new brick buildings with high- pitched green roofs and
tall windows will join the skyline surrounding the lawn of
a new grassy quad at the center of campus. One of those
buildings will be a 73,000- square- foot student recreation
center adjacent to Reid Gym, and the other a two- story,
53,000- square- foot dining hall where Helder used to stand
that will replace Dodson Cafeteria.
Hundreds of students were interviewed about their likes
and dislikes as part of the design process for the new dining
hall, said Rick Nicholson ’ 76, director of auxiliary services.
Upstairs will be an “ all- you- care- to- eat” venue with salads,
fruits and vegetables, pastas and pizza, home- style foods,
grilled items, sandwiches and desserts. Some chairs in
the seating areas will be cushioned, and booths will be
scattered throughout. Windows will overlook campus and
the mountains, said Nicholson.
Downstairs will host a convenience store and retail
outlets including Panda Express, Starbucks, McAlister’s
Deli, Grill Works, Freshëns and Zoca’s, a Mexican- themed
restaurant. Students will be able to dine at outdoor tables
under umbrellas in the style of a sidewalk café. “ The
Starbucks and McAlister’s Deli will have separate entrances
Recreation, Dining Facilities to Open as Campus Makeover Continues
By TERESA KILIAN
New Student Recreation Center - $ 16.8 million New Dining Hall Replacement of Dodson - $ 17.2 million The Magazine of Western Carolina University FALL 2007
A 60- foot excavator dismantled the majority of the
walls of the four- story, 400- bed Helder Residence Hall
in a matter of days in July ( inset). The residence hall for
women first opened in 1966, the same year as Dodson
Cafeteria and Leatherwood Residence Hall. The building
was dedicated in honor of the late Horatio A. and Adah
Clark Helder. Horatio was a member of the board of
trustees of what was then Western Carolina College, and
an executive at Champion Papers Inc. of Canton. Nearby,
a new student recreation center is rising on a former
parking lot between A. K. Hinds University Center and
Reid Gymnasium ( above left).
allowing them to remain open late in the evening, making
these locations a great place for socializing as well as
dining,” said Nicholson.
Earlier this year, the dining area at Brown Cafeteria was
transformed into a sports- themed nightspot and opened
this semester as The Cats Den. The menu features pizza,
wings and hot subs; and entertainment includes arcade
games, pool tables, darts, wireless access, and a 50- inch
flat- screen high- definition television hooked up to a
Nintendo Wii. “ We needed somewhere on campus to relax
and hang out that’s open a little later,” said Ryan Jaskot,
a junior business major from Durham.
In response to student requests for expanded exercise
facilities, construction began on the new student recreation
center, which features two multipurpose courts, a 9,800-
square- foot area for strength- training and cardiovascular
equipment, a three- lane indoor track, a 2,500- square- foot
group exercise studio, fitness assessment rooms, locker
rooms and administrative offices. Kellie Angelo Monteith,
director of the Fitness Center, said the opening of the new
recreation center will enhance access to exercise equipment
Renovation of Stillwell Science Building - $ 27 million Renovation of Forsyth Building - $ 4 million
Continued on page 10
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University
and allow more fitness programs to be offered throughout the
day. Currently, the fitness center closes between 8 a. m. and noon
during academic weight- training classes, and group exercise
programs do not have dedicated space.
One of the new building’s hallmarks, the indoor climbing
wall, was designed with help from Josh Whitmore, director
of outdoor programs. The wall features a 48- foot- tall section
and molded archway, offering both challenges for experienced
climbers and areas ideal for beginners. “ This is an exciting
addition to outdoor recreation amenities on campus,” said
Whitmore. “ The university has the unique advantage of being
fairly close to exceptional rock climbing. However, taking
advantage of those resources requires skills that can be learned
and perfected on an indoor wall. The indoor wall offers easy
access any time and in any weather, making the sport more
available to new participants. It’s sure to be a hit with students.”
Also next fall, Forsyth Building, which is home to the College
of Business, is scheduled to reopen after interior renovations
during the 2007- 08 academic year; and finishing touches are
being put on renovated space in Stillwell Science Building.
Scheduled to open this spring are the facility’s microbiology
labs; teaching labs, including one designed for biotech projects;
an herb library and research area; labs specifically for biology,
chemical intensive and faculty research; and faculty offices.
“ We are going to have some really beautiful state- of- the- art
teaching labs that are bright and welcoming,” said Cynthia
Atterholt, head of the chemistry department. Mack Powell, head
of the biology department, said he’s particularly excited to see
the opening of a first- class herbarium. “ We have an outstanding
archive of plants native to the Southern Appalachians that rivals
any in the Southeast, with some specimens more than 100 years
old; but, until now, we haven’t had a really good facility for
processing and cataloging the specimens,” said Powell.
Meanwhile, construction is expected to begin next fall on a
$ 46.2 million Health and Gerontological Sciences Building – the
first building to be constructed on 344 acres of recently acquired
property between the Jackson County Airport and the North
Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. The building
will anchor what the university’s master plan describes as a
“ neighborhood of interest,” a mixed- use community designed
to co- locate traditional campus activities, including classes and
research, with related private and governmental enterprises
interested in collaborating with students and faculty ( see related
story). A new residence hall is on the drawing board, too.
“ Fall ’ 08 will be an exciting time,” said Chuck Wooten ’ 73,
vice chancellor for administration and finance.
Jessica Hobart, a senior parks and recreation management
major from Asheville, says she regrets only that she will not
be at WCU next year to enjoy the climbing wall and other new
facilities on campus. She approves of the construction – as long
as it preserves, too, what makes Cullowhee special. “ It would be
awful to no longer be able to enjoy the beautiful mountains as
I read under the shade of an old tree on campus,” she said. “ But
I also think some of the construction, such as the new student
recreation center, is long overdue. We must continually enhance
and update the campus so that Western will be a place where
students want to go and want to stay.”
New Health & Gerontological Sciences Building - $ 46.2 million Total: $ 111.2 million
Continued from page 9
Sam Miller, vice chancellor for student affairs ( left),
and Chancellor John Bardo check out progress on
the student recreation center.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 10 University FALL 2007
You could almost hear the celebratory champagne corks
popping in Moore Hall, home to many of Western’s academic
programs in the health sciences, when N. C. Gov. Mike Easley
signed a $ 20.7 billion budget bill on the last day of July. That’s
because the 2007- 08 state budget includes $ 43.8 million in
funding for a new health and gerontological sciences building
at WCU.
The 145,000- square- foot facility that will house educational
programs in the College of Health and Human Sciences will
be the first construction project on the university’s Millennial
Initiative property, 344 acres across N. C. Highway 107
from Western’s main campus. But that major allocation for
construction of the long- awaited building is just part of a total
of nearly $ 53 million in new investments in Western by the state
this year, said Clifton Metcalf, vice chancellor for advancement
and external affairs.
“ This has been a very dramatic year for Western, financially
speaking,” Metcalf said. “ Between $ 52.8 million in new funds
from the state, $ 15.7 million in gifts contributed to the university
through The Campaign for Western and $ 3.4 million through
the Foundation in contributions to annual operations funds, it is
a record year for public and private giving to Western. I believe
that level of financial support for the university speaks volumes
about the direction of the institution. In both the public and
the private sector, people tend to invest their money in people,
programs and places where they feel confident those dollars will
pay dividends. The $ 71.9 million in public appropriations and
private contributions that have come to Western this year will
have a tremendous impact on the university’s ability to educate its
students and serve the needs of the people of the region.”
The funding represents the second largest injection of financial
resources into Western, although the $ 98.4 million that represented
the university’s share of a $ 3.1 billion state higher education bond
issue approved by N. C. voters in November 2000 did not come
in one fell swoop. “ To me, to see these kinds of resources coming
into this place is incredible,” said Rosemary Wyche of Raleigh,
former vice president of North Carolina Citizens for Business
and Industry and a member of WCU’s board of trustees. “ It’s
absolutely incredible.”
The biggest chunk of change coming Western’s way is the
$ 43.8 million for the new health sciences building. The General
Assembly allocated $ 2.4 million in advance planning and design
funding for the building in 2005, for a total pricetag of $ 46.2 million.
The new building will house classrooms, offices and laboratory
space to allow much- needed expansion of Western’s accredited
degree programs to meet an increasing demand for licensed
health care professionals in a wide range of nursing and health
sciences disciplines, said Linda Seestedt- Stanford, dean of the
College of Health and Human Sciences. “ This building will provide
exceptional educational and research opportunities that will enrich
and advance the quality of education at Western and will serve
as a testament to our dedication to making a difference in the
health of the people of North Carolina,” said Seestedt- Stanford.
“ It will allow both the physical assimilation of our health
programs, pulling together faculty and students currently housed
in four different buildings, as well as interdisciplinary cross-fertilization,
an essential element necessary in the education of
health sciences students.”
State Investment in New Health Building
Highlights Record Year in Revenues for WCU
By BILL ST UDEN C
Linda Seestedt- Stanford, dean of the College of Health
and Human Sciences ( center), is joined by ( from left) Phillip
Kneller, Judy Dillard, Vincent Hall and Karen Lunnen at the
site where the health and gerontological sciences building
( architect’s concept pictured above) will be constructed.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 11
Re- create conditions on an 18th- century sailing ship and in
a Colonial community – that was the challenge for 12 motion
picture majors from Western working as summer interns on an
independent film set in the North Carolina village of Old Salem.
Titled “ Wesley,” the film is about John Wesley, founder of the
Methodist Church in England, during his few years in America,
said producer John Jackman of Foundery Pictures.
Jackman and his director of photography, Arledge Armenaki,
associate professor of cinematography in WCU’s motion picture
and television production program, hired the Western students
to work as crew on the film.
The first couple of days were tough, said Ian Vigstedt, a senior
from Asheville who worked as a script supervisor. “ We really
didn’t have a feel for it,” said Vigstedt. “ We were required to
do professional work with no experience. It was terrifying. I
thought I’d mess up; let people down. We all had our foul- ups
– professionals and students alike. But once I got over the initial
terror and realized I could do this job and do it well, it turned
out great.”
Aaron Putnam, who worked as a grip, agreed. “ We learned
about the life of a working set. That’s an adventure right there,”
said Putnam, a junior from Weaverville. His job of hauling
around huge, heavy lights and stands was strenuous, but he’s not
complaining. “ We met a lot of really good professionals – not
just the actors, but camera operators, grips, gaffers and other
technical folks. It was spectacularly fun,” he said.
And it was a good experience, said Tommy Flaherty, also a
grip. For the senior from Clyde, the hardest part was learning the
names of the lighting equipment. “ I didn’t know what half the
stuff was at first,” he said – stuff like the high roller, high high,
triple riser or mickey mole. “ It took a while, but we finally got it,”
Flaherty said.
Now back to that sailing ship – a 36- footer with two masts
and full rigging. Corey Utke, a senior from Denver, was assigned
to set construction. “ From reading the script, we could see that
a quarter of the story takes place on the Atlantic, so we had to
build a boat somehow,” Utke said. And there were no blueprints.
“ We did lots of research in the library and on the Internet. We
talked with people at shipyards and found a naval expert to help
with the knots,” he said.
“ When we were finished, Professor Armenaki said, ‘ That
boat looks great. That’s bad. It has to look like it’s been at sea
By LEILA TVEDT
The Magazine of Western Carolina 12 University FALL 2007
for months.’ So we beat on it with bicycle chains and threw
gallons of mud on it,” Utke said. But he doesn’t mind.
The ship from “ Wesley” will be used in another film. “ They
won’t even have to take it apart, and we’ll get credits for
both,” he said.
Kristen Philyaw, a senior who worked on props, also
learned to make do. Because of the movie’s low budget,
Philyaw, who hails from Pottstown, Pa., helped the set
designer borrow period furniture, and they made pewter
dinnerware from spray- painted paper plates. “ I learned a lot
about improvising,” she said. “ It was a lot of work,
more work than people realize, but I still really
want to get into this after graduation.”
And that’s the point, said Jack Sholder,
Hollywood veteran and program director at
Western. “ It was an extraordinary experience
for our students,” Sholder said. “ They learned
how a movie works, how a set works, how the
pieces fit together. And they did some great
networking. I thought it was enormously
successful. It did exactly what we want an
internship to do,” he said.
Aaron Putnam, who has been making amateur movies since he
was in high school, is learning even more about video storytelling
as a motion picture major at WCU, and he got some great
experience as a summer intern working with the pros on the set of
a motion picture production. Now Putnam has another star to add
to his resume.
Make that nine stars.
Putnam and his production, titled “ Cosmo of 1932,” won the
Audience Award plus nearly half of the other 18 awards given by
judges at the 48 Hour Film Festival in Asheville this summer.
“ Cosmo” took best film and top honors for special effects, song,
sound design, cinematography, writing, acting and directing.
Think about it – 48 hours to make a complete movie. The genre
is assigned, as are one of the props, one of the characters, and one
line of dialogue. Only location scouting is allowed in advance.
That’s it. Now go create a seven- minute film. That’s exactly what
Putnam and his team did.
“ It’s really a stress test. While I was writing the script, the others
went out to find what we had or could adapt to support the story,”
Putnam said. “ I sat down at the computer and, three hours later,
had the script and some idea of what to do about it. I had expected
to do something serious, but the character of Cosmo came out as a
spoof on the old film noire detective. He’s a modern- day cop who
plays out his job as if he’s in the ’ 30s,” complete with tough talk
and a trench coat. “ Miles Rice, who won best actor, did a brilliant
job with his interpretation,” Putnam said.
Then there was Putnam’s sister who wrote the award- winning
theme song; and friends and classmates who helped operate
cameras, record sound and create costumes. They found the
required umbrella prop ( which becomes surprisingly deadly)
and played the parts of police chief, sidekick, cowboy, villain,
flapper, criminal master mind and the required character – an
environmentalist ( who keeps in touch with nature by selling pot)
– and his almost- twin brother. Together, they kept each other
going through a plot that thickens right up to the final frame.
“ Everyone in the movie did such a great job,” Putnam said. The
judges obviously thought so. To see why they were so impressed,
go to www. putnamfilms. com.
Students Alex Dillard ( top) and Robbie
Cassidy ( bottom) work side by side with
movie industry professionals including
actor R. Keith Harris ’ 92 ( above right),
one of the stars of “ Wesley.”
Aaron Putnam, award- winning filmmaker.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 13
Academic
WCU Educational Talent Search
Director Todd Murdock ’ 85 MAEd ’ 93 leads summer participants
on trips that include ( clockwise from top left) bicycling more than
1,000 miles along the path of Lewis and Clark to the Pacific Ocean;
planting endemic species in Glacier National Park; bicycling on
the Oregon side of Columbia River Gorge; hiking in
Montana; and exploring
Saint Mary Falls.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 14 University FALL 2007
Students in Western’s Educational Talent Search program
did more than read about Native American tribes in the Great
Plains. They flew to Montana, slept in tipis, helped a 91- year-old
hide tanner, joined tribal children in traditional games and
meals, and planted endemic plant species in areas of Glacier
National Park damaged by forest fire.
“ There’s a difference between reading or hearing about
something, and going to the subject and struggling to really ‘ get
it,’” said Todd Murdock ’ 85 MAEd ’ 93, director of Educational
Talent Search at WCU. “ That kind of experiential education
really impacts someone – helps them understand the world a
little more and discover something new in themselves. That’s
what we do here.”
The U. S. Department of Education funds Talent Search
programs across the country to help increasing numbers of
young people from disadvantaged backgrounds complete
high school and continue their education at postsecondary
institutions. Services typically offered include tutoring, career
exploration, aptitude assessments, counseling, mentoring
programs, workshops, information on postsecondary
institutions and assistance with applying for
admission and financial aid.
WCU Pre- College Program Recognized for Creativity
By TERESA KILLIAN At Western, Talent Search offers 900 middle and high school
students those core services plus additional outdoor and cultural
activities, including intensive summer enrichment experiences
that have been commended on the national level for creativity,
said Murdock. For three consecutive summers, participants
from Western’s Talent Search retraced the Lewis and Clark
expedition – hiking, biking and paddling more than 1,000 miles
from St. Louis, Mo., to the coast of Oregon. An environmental,
cultural and historical “ Girl Power” trip to the Carolina coast
and barrier islands was an opportunity for many participants to
see the ocean for the first time. This past summer’s trip marked
the first in what will be a series of cultural and service learning
exchange trips.
“ We don’t have a lot of time with these students. To really rock
their world in a positive way in the time we do have, we design
programs that they will think are really cool while also being
meaningful, powerful and intentional,” said Murdock, who
joined Talent Search two decades ago as an outreach counselor
and became the director in 1987. Montana exchange program
organizers wanted participants to really step outside of their
own world and experience the rich culture at the Flathead Indian
Reservation, home to the Confederated Salish and Kootenai
tribes, and Browning, the largest community on the Blackfeet
Indian Reservation. Murdock said he believes they did.
“ One day on the trip we listened to a man talk about a dark
time in his tribe’s past. It was good for the kids to hear, but not
necessarily easy to hear. In one story, the man recounted the
kidnapping of the tribe’s children in the name of God by people
who were white,” he said. “ At our campfire debriefing that night,
one student said, ‘ I felt sorry for him,’ and another ‘ I felt bad for
Continued on page 16
“ This is the true story of twenty strangers,
chosen to travel together, to experience
a new place and a rich culture, to live
among strangers soon to be friends, to work
alongside one another, to experience the
authentic learning environment that comes
when people stop being comfortable, and
start living ‘ on the road.’”
- Excerpt from blog, “ On the Road Service Learning
and Cultural Exchange” 2007 program, Educational
Talent Search, Western Carolina University.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 15
him. I think he was really just very frustrated with how things
happened.’ That was when I knew they got it. They really heard
him and were walking a mile in his moccasins.”
For Monica Gatti, a junior at Nantahala High School who
wants to become a teacher, the Montana trip was her first
venture west of Tennessee. Gatti said she was moved listening
to Oshanee Kenmille, who started tanning hides at age 12 and
was married at age 14 in a prearranged marriage, and inspired
when they hiked trails more difficult and longer than she ever
had before. “ I know it sounds funny, but the sky was really big
and open. Everything was. We were driving down the road,
and to the left there were rolling hills and to the right Rocky
Mountains,” said Gatti. “ Parts of the trip were challenging,
but it was worth it.”
In addition to coordinating summer enrichment experiences,
Educational Talent Search outreach counselors meet with middle
school students regularly during the school year for activities
such as career exploration and invite students to participate
in two full days of outdoor learning experiences. For high
school students, Talent Search offers assistance preparing for
the SAT, fee waivers for test or college applications, and trips
to visit colleges. “ Our main purpose is to help first- generation
college- bound students,” said Murdock, who himself was in
the first generation from his family to earn a college degree.
“ Many families want their children to go to college but may
not necessarily know the process – when to take the SAT, visit
colleges and apply.”
Program participants such as Amanda Buchanan ’ 06 say
Educational Talent Search helped give her the information and
confidence she needed to keep pursuing her dream of becoming
a veterinarian. Buchanan was new to Andrews Middle School
when she joined Talent Search and participated in such activities
as a “ Girl Power” trip and ropes course challenges. “ I was
anxious. I remember being harnessed to a rope and trying to
climb a rope ladder. It was something I had never done before
and didn’t think I could, but people on the ground were giving
me a lot of encouragement,” said Buchanan. Talent Search’s
career exploration activities confirmed to Buchanan that her
skills and love of animals suited her for the veterinary field. Now,
after completing the pre- vet program at Western, she has become
the first student from Cherokee County to enter veterinary
school at North Carolina State University. “ I want to come back
to work in this region after I graduate,” said Buchanan. “ I am
pretty committed to serving the community here. I know I will
have to work hard, but I know I can do it.”
Read more about Educational Talent Search at Western
Carolina University on the Web site www. wcu. edu/ talentsearch.
Continued from page 15
Educational Talent Search participants
raft the Flathead River in Montana.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 16 University FALL 2007
A. J. Rowell ’ 05 can’t remember exactly when the thought
of a long- distance benifit ride came to his mind, but it was
sometime during his solo across- the- United States bicycle
tour, several months after his graduation from Western.
The day after he participated in commencement ceremonies
at the Ramsey Center, Rowell left Cullowhee with his degree
in accounting and finance to start the first long- distance
bicycle tour of his life – a ride along the entire length of the
Blue Ridge Parkway, from Cherokee to Rockfish Gap, Va.
Rowell was so enthralled with that adventure that he kept
riding past the point where the parkway ended in Virginia,
and pedaled on to visit relatives near Washington, D. C.
After that 680- mile adventure, he immediately left for
Montana to begin a 320- mile tour that included Yellowstone
National Park. “ Somewhere in Yellowstone, I started talking
about a cross- country bicycle tour,” he said. Sure enough, next
up was a four- month, 4,700- mile ride across the northern tier
of the United States that took him from Anacortes, Wash., to
Bar Harbor, Maine.
Rowell says it might have been while he was blazing down
a Montana road with a 30- mph wind at his back, or it could
have been while he was facing a brutal headwind and 100-
degree temperatures in Iowa, but somewhere out in the wide
open spaces during that cross- country ride the idea came to
him. “ I realized how much more fulfilling my trip would be if
I had a cause,” he said. “ My journey had no cause other than
personal achievement. I thought about what I could do to
bring meaning to such a journey.”
That meaning is finding form as Rowell continues his
current trek – a 10,000- mile journey from Prudhoe Bay,
Alaska, to Cullowhee that includes 13 states, three Canadian
provinces and 22 national parks. Called “ Why I Ride,” the
expedition serves one purpose – to help those in need, Rowell
said. He hopes to raise $ 25,000 to be distributed among five
major charities.
Rowell began his “ Why I Ride” tour in June, and he expects
the entire journey to take six to eight months. By late August,
he had reached northern British Columbia and was averaging
70 miles per day. He expected to reach the U. S. border in early
September, and hoped to make it through the Rockies before
winter weather arrives.
“ This tour is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, physically and
mentally,” Rowell said, particularly because the ride has taken
him across some of the most remote wildernesses of Alaska and
Canada, where he has been completely reliant on the equipment
and provisions he can carry on his bicycle. He has ridden for as
long as a week without finding modern services of any kind.
Rowell said the challenges he faces are insignificant, though,
compared to the difficulties faced by those who live out every day
of their lives in the grip of poverty. “ I remind myself of that a lot
when I’m out here,” he said.
Rowell’s Web site, WhyIRide. org, includes a journal with
trip details, information about charities that will benefit from
the ride, photo galleries, and a chance for visitors to sign
up for e- mail updates and make donations.
Rowell Embarks on 10,000- mile Bicycle Ride to Benefit Charities
By RAN DALL HOL COMBE
CYCLE OF HOPE A. J. Rowell ’ 05 soaks in the scenery of Canada’s Yukon
countryside during his cross- continental charity ride.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 17
The late Genevieve Whitmire MAEd ’ 69 and E. J. Whitmire
started their careers teaching high school in Franklin and spent
their lives educating others about the value and joy of learning.
The Whitmires taught their children and grandchildren that
hard work and getting an education were among the best ways to
succeed, and that people with drive, determination and a love of
learning deserved a hand along the way. Now, their children and
grandchildren are extending that hand to students at Western
through a scholarship fund they created in 2006 in honor of
E. J. Whitmire, who died in 1998, and Genevieve Whitmire, who
died on June 14.
“ Our family believes there is no better way to carry forward their
philosophy and contributions than to establish a scholarship fund
to foster and advance other life- long learners who plan to touch the
lives of young people through teaching,” said their granddaughter
Kathleen Burda Wirth ’ 97 MAEd ’ 01, on behalf of the family
members who contributed more than $ 60,000 to start the fund. “ If
there was a question of funding an educational opportunity and if
there was a way to help, Genevieve and E. J. would try to aid – even
if they didn’t always know the recipient very well. They felt that
need shouldn’t stand in the way of learning.”
This year, the Genevieve and E. J. Whitmire Scholarship
Fund will generate about $ 3,000 to help a student majoring in
mathematics education or science education. The scholarship
recognizes the Whitmires, who both at one time taught high school
science, and the need for teachers in schools today, said Genevieve
Burda, the Whitmires’ daughter and a past member of Western’s
board of trustees. “ We felt any incentive we can offer to encourage
talented students interested in teaching in those disciplines would
help address the critical need for teachers in math and science,”
said Burda.
Chancellor John W. Bardo said the new scholarship will
improve the quality of education for generations to come. “ The
story of the tremendous growth at Western Carolina University
would not be complete without the Whitmire family,” said
Bardo. “ For more than 50 years, the Whitmires have given
generously of their time, their services and their finances to
enhance and expand opportunities for students at Western.”
The scholarship marks the third endowed scholarship fund
established by the Whitmire family. In 1974, the Whitmires and
E. J. Whitmire’s brother and sister- in- law, Blanton J. Whitmire
and Margaret S. “ Peg” Whitmire, created the Myrtle Olivia
Whitmire Scholarship, which benefits students planning
careers in early childhood education. In 1996, Genevieve and
E. J. Whitmire developed another scholarship, the “ Little E. J.”
Scholarship Fund, to help students preparing for careers in
special education. In addition, Whitmire family members have
financially supported university programs and professorships,
programs and in- kind services.
For more than 20 years, E. J. Whitmire served on Western’s
board of trustees. In a 1974 publication printed when Western’s
stadium was dedicated as the E. J. Whitmire Stadium, a facility
E. J. Whitmire donated site preparation work in order to
construct, he talked about what led him, though an alumnus
of North Carolina State University, to become one of Western’s
most active advocates. “ When Gov. Kerr Scott was elected, he
asked me to accept an appointment to the Western Carolina
Board of Trustees,” he said. “ I had turned down some earlier
appointments, but I accepted this one when he convinced me
that I could help the development of the area and its people.”
It's All in the Family By TERESA KILLIAN
Genevieve Burda ( right) is
among the family members
who endowed a scholarship
fund in memory of
Genevieve Whitmire
MAEd ’ 69 and E. J.
Whitmire, pictured at their
farm in Cherokee County.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 18 University FALL 2007
Employees and family members of Macon Bank recently
honored the memory of a beloved co- worker and Western
alumnus by renaming a scholarship in his honor.
The Michael Morgan Memorial Scholarship, previously called
the Macon Bank Scholarship, pays tribute to the late Michael
Morgan ’ 84, former first vice president and chief lending
officer, who passed away in January. An 11- year employee of
Macon Bank, Morgan was a member of the foundation board
of Southwestern Community College and served on the Macon
County Economic Development Commission.
“ Mike was a big part of the bank. With the recent
establishment of the new banking concentration at Western,
it all seemed to fit,” said Roger Plemens ’ 77, president and
chief executive officer of Macon Bank, who also was Morgan’s
longtime friend.
Using the fund’s previous balance of $ 19,000, in addition
to a gift of $ 25,000 from Macon Bank, the scholarship will
provide a junior- or senior- level banking student from Western
North Carolina with an annual award of $ 5,000 beginning in
the 2007- 08 academic year. Annual earnings of the fund will
contribute to half of the scholarship amount, and Macon Bank
will donate $ 2,500 annually to assure that the full $ 5,000 is
awarded every year.
“ We appreciate Macon Bank’s leadership in recognizing the
importance of the corporate- educational partnership,” said
Kyle Carter, WCU provost. “ Western Carolina University is
honored to remember Mike Morgan through this important
scholarship fund.”
Macon A Difference By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
Founded in Franklin in 1922, Macon Bank has grown to
11 branches and more than 200 employees. Of the bank’s
employees, more than 30 are Western grads. In addition to
Plemens, president and CEO since April 2004, they include
Holly McCall ’ 92, director of human resources; Laura Clark
’ 92, vice president and compliance officer; Will Madden ’ 92,
vice president and Cashiers branch manager; and Patrick Moore
’ 01, director of marketing. “ We also have several loan officers,
customer service representatives and tellers in our branches that
are WCU alumni,” said Moore.
For information on
The Campaign for Western,
visit the Web site at
campaign. wcu. edu
or call ( 828) 227- 7124.
Roger Plemens ’ 77 presents
Provost Kyle Carter with a
gift of $ 25,000 for the Michael
Morgan Memorial Scholarship
Fund in honor of the late
Michael Morgan ’ 84, ( in the
photograph at the far right)
who was first vice president and
chief lending officer of Macon
Bank. Also taking part in the
presentation ( from left) are
Morgan’s wife, Jane ’ 81 MAEd
’ 82, and his two daughters,
Kelly and Lori.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 19
A former Western administrator who served as chairman of
Mountain Heritage Day for 18 years and his wife have established
a $ 10,000 endowed fund that will help the event continue to thrive
as one of the premier folk festivals in the Southeast. Investment
earnings from the fund created by W. Douglas Davis ’ 49 and
Angela Davis MA ’ 68 of Cullowhee will be used to support a wide
range of festival activities.
“ Doug” Davis was a member of WCU’s staff from
1966 until his retirement in 1992 as assistant vice
chancellor for student development. Angela Davis
taught at WCU for eight years before entering a
career in real estate.
In 1974, Doug Davis served on the committee
that planned the inauguration of H. F. Robinson
as chancellor at WCU. The committee planned
the inauguration as, in part, a “ Founder’s Day”
celebration. That event evolved into Mountain
Heritage Day, and in 1976 Davis was chosen to lead
the new Mountain Heritage Day committee. He
affixed Mountain Heritage Day to the last Saturday
in September and led the festival to its position as a
major folk festival that now draws 25,000 to 30,000
visitors to WCU’s campus each year. After his 1992
retirement, Davis continued to head Mountain
Heritage Day for two more years.
Now in its 33rd year, Mountain Heritage Day is
supported by the state of North Carolina through
the work of WCU’s faculty and staff, but the only
regular funding received by the festival comes
through vendor booth rental fees and from receiving
a percentage of receipts from vendors’ sales at the
festival’s arts, crafts and food midway. There are no
parking fees, and admission to the festival is free.
Vendor sales at Mountain Heritage Day are heavily
dependent upon festival attendance, and attendance
is dependent on the weather, so it follows that event
revenues can fluctuate each year according to the
weather in Cullowhee on festival day.
“ Throughout its history, Mountain Heritage Day
has been blessed with great weather in most years,
but being at the mercy of Mother Nature puts the
festival in a tenuous position,” said Scott Philyaw ’ 83,
current festival chairman and director of WCU’s
Mountain Heritage Center.
“ That’s why this gift from Doug and Angela
Davis is one of the most pivotal developments in
the festival’s history. This fund will provide a more reliable source
of revenue that we can depend on from now on,” Philyaw said.
“ Through this donation, the Davises are helping to ensure that
Mountain Heritage Day will continue to thrive for many years
to come as a tribute to and celebration of the traditional culture
of the Southern Appalachians. Doug Davis was an excellent
steward throughout the early years of the festival. This gift
continues that stewardship.”
A Giving Tradition By RAN DALL HOL COMBE
In addition to serving as festival chairman, W. Douglas Davis ’ 49 was
“ town crier” for Mountain Heritage Day for numerous years.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 20 University FALL 2007
Retired educators Tom Henson ’ 63 MAEd ’ 69 and Carol
Henson ’ 66 readily admit they were not exactly the most
involved alumni in university history – at least, not for the first
40 years following their graduations from Western. All that
changed after a return to their alma mater to watch a women’s
basketball game last year.
Carol Henson, who majored in history at WCU before
enjoying a career as a teacher and administrator, wanted to see
the Lady Catamounts take on Auburn University in the season-opener
at the Ramsey Regional Activity Center. She convinced
her husband, a long- time teacher and coach who majored in
history and Spanish, to make the trip to Cullowhee from their
Winston- Salem home.
The couple was highly impressed with the players and the
way Coach Kellie Harper and her staff managed the team. “ We
were both so impressed, and we were both really hooked,” Tom
Henson said – so hooked that they have attended 26 Western
sporting events since then.
While getting reacquainted with Western athletics, the
Hensons were struck by how the athletics staff – especially
Jennifer Brown, assistant athletics director and senior women’s
administrator – was helping WCU athletes also perform their
Sporting Chance By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
best in the classroom. “ Athletics has such a hard- working staff
and a great bunch of players. The athletes are all extremely good
students and rank up there in terms of grade- point averages,”
Tom Henson said.
In March, Western student- athletes landed a league- best 20
students on the Southern Conference’s TIAA- CREF Winter
Academic All- Conference team, including five Lady Catamount
basketball players. That off- court performance helped guide the
Hensons’ decision to donate their estate to Catamount athletics.
“ My wife and I do not have children,” Henson said. “ We
thought the student- athletes we might be able to help will make
something of themselves.”
Their estate gift is creating the Tom and Carol Henson Fund
for the Academic Resource Center for Athletics, with money
from their estate to be used to support the operation of programs
that assist student- athletes in their academic endeavors. Rather
than donate to one particular sport, the Hensons wanted their
gift to benefit all athletes, male and female. “ We are very fond
of the university and education, and feel like Western is really
moving along academically. We think our donation will help
that progress,” he said.
Tom Henson ’ 63 MAEd ’ 69 and Carol Henson ’ 66
( from left) visit the academic resource center with
Jennifer Brown, assistant athletics director.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 21
House of
Slitherin' By BILL STUDENC
The Magazine of Western Carolina 22 University FALL 2007
Research Project is Designed
To Keep Timber Rattlers Off the
Endangered Species List
To Ron Davis, assistant professor of natural resources
management at Western, timber rattlesnakes are the North
Carolina wildlife equivalent of Rodney Dangerfield – they
just don’t get any respect. Sure, timber rattlers inspire fear
and loathing among most people. But increasing human
encroachment upon their habitat is pushing the creatures,
already considered a “ species of special concern,” closer to the
endangered list and, perhaps, to the verge of extinction.
That’s why Davis, working with the N. C. Wildlife Resources
Commission, is leading a research effort in the mountains
of Western North Carolina to determine the impact of new
housing developments and road- building on the animal. In the
pilot project, timber rattlers that have been captured in the wild
are implanted with special radio transmitters by an Asheville
veterinarian. Davis and his students then use geographic
information systems technology and radio receivers to track
the snakes after they have been returned to the spot where
they were caught.
“ The timber rattler is probably the most misunderstood
animal in Western North Carolina,” said Davis. “ Because people
fear them, they want to kill them. Between the destruction of
dens by development, wanton killing of the snakes, accidental
road kills and illegal poaching, the population of these animals
is declining dramatically.”
So what, some might argue about the thought of fewer
venomous reptiles slithering through the WNC woodlands.
Jenn Slagle, a senior from Shelby who is working with Davis on
the project, said the timber rattlesnake is an important part of a
larger ecosystem and helps control the rodent population. “ This
species was in the mountains long before we were living here,”
said Slagle, who is majoring in natural resources management
and political science. As part of the project, Slagle developed
a computer model using GIS software to determine probable
locations of timber rattlesnake dens. WCU researchers are using
radio telemetry throughout the fall to track released snakes that
were implanted with the radio transmitters, until the reptiles
return to their dens for winter hibernation.
The goals of the project are conservation and education, said
Davis. “ When we build homes on the mountainsides, we are
encroaching upon their territory. When people and rattlesnakes
share the same space, the snakes usually lose,” he said. A major
problem in snake- human interactions is that the snakes cannot
simply be relocated, Davis said. “ Moving a snake out of its home
range is basically a death sentence for the snake,” he said.
“ Our work will allow us to examine the effects of development
and hopefully develop some ways in which people and snakes
can co- exist.”
The ultimate goal of the project is to help preserve the snakes,
in part by educating people that they are not vicious, aggressive
animals, said Davis. Although serious, rattlesnake bites are very
rare, and usually occur when someone is trying to handle or
kill a snake. “ The snakes are defensive. The rattle is a defense
mechanism, not an attack signal, and their survival depends
upon not being seen. Given the chance, they will head for cover,”
he said. “ It can be frightening for some people when they see
a rattlesnake, but this remarkable animal really deserves our
respect rather than our fear. The best thing to do is to simply
leave them alone.”
Professor Ron Davis ( left) releases a timber rattler implanted with a radio transmitter
while student Jenn Slagle ( above right) tracks the creatures with a radio receiver.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 23
Tracy Keith Bridges
’ 98 BS ’ 02 JD Appalachian School of Law
Asheville, N. C.
Associate, Moore Law Firm
At WCU: Golden Ambassador; chief justice,
Student Supreme Court; senator, Student
Council; Criminal Justice Club.
Formerly: Medal of Valor and heroism
awards and honors in 2001 due to involve-ment
in stopping a school shooter in Virginia
while attending law school; American Bar As-sociation
representative; lieutenant governor
for Fourth Circuit; Student Bar Association,
senator; American Trial Lawyers Association,
member; Wake County Young Lawyers Divi-sion,
member.
Currently: Master Mason, French Broad
Masonic Lodge No. 292; treasurer and
executive board member, Helpmate of
Madison County ( domestic violence program);
volunteer with Feeding the Homeless in Ashe-ville;
developed and coordinates the Santa Pal
program for the children of Madison County.
Ed Cody, CPA, CHFP
’ 79 BSBA
Asheville, N. C.
Partner in the accounting firm Dixon Hughes
PLLC; partner- in- charge of the firm’s health
care consulting group.
At WCU: Treasurer, Alpha Kappa Psi
business fraternity; charter student
of WCU co- op program.
Formerly: Past president of WCU’s
Catamount Club.
Currently: Vice chair of the board of
Plowpoint Inc., a ministry to equip churches
for new services and resolve conflicts; cre-ated
The Spiritual Entrepreneur Program, a
program to encourage and empower people
to use their passions and gifts in ministry;
member of Covenant Community United
Methodist Church.
Married to Andrea Rhodarmer Cody ’ 81;
two daughters, Camille and Tierney.
Michael B. Jordan, CPA, CMA
’ 71 BSBA ’ 89 MBA
Wilkesboro, N. C.
Self- employed as an accounting
and small business consultant.
At WCU: Student.
Formerly: Former program chair, Wilkes
District Roundtable, Old Hickory Council
Boy Scouts of America.
Currently: Member of American Institute
of CPAs, N. C. Association of CPAs, and
the Institute of Management Accountants.
Member, board of directors, Wilkes County
Communities in Schools. Mentor in Friends
of Youth Program.
Married to Rachel Hincher Jordan ’ 71.
Frances Owl- Smith, MD
’ 83 BS ’ 87 MD UNC- Chapel Hill
School of Medicine
Waynesville, N. C.
Medical director of the laboratory at Haywood
Regional Medical Center in Clyde, N. C.
At WCU: University Scholar.
Formerly: Following pathology residency
practiced medicine in Arizona and
New Mexico.”
Currently: Secretary of the Haywood
County Medical Society; serve on several
hospital committees; active in the Haywood
Medical Foundation efforts to expand hospital
facilities; professional member of the Ameri-can
Society of Clinical Pathologists, College of
American Pathologists, North Carolina Medical
Society and the Association of American
Indian Physicians; member of the Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians.
Married to Doyle Smith; three children.
Sandra L. Tolley
’ 76 MA
Marshall, N. C.
Retired teacher.
At WCU: English teaching assistant;
earned scholarship.
Formerly: President, Madison County
Friends of the Library; chairman, Madison
County Commissioners.
Currently: Chairman, Madison County
Board of Education.
Married to Charles Tolley; two daughters.
NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 1
( 19,611 WCU alumni): Alleghany, Alexander, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson,
Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Rutherford, Polk, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties.
( Vote for one. The top three vote recipients will serve three- year terms, 2007- 10.)
WCU Alumni Association Announces NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 2
( 11,696 WCU alumni): Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Caswell, Catawba, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Lincoln,
Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Randolph, Richmond, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union and Yadkin counties.
( Vote for one. The top two vote recipients will serve three- year terms, 2007- 10.)
Julia Moody Britt
’ 57 BSEd ’ 59 MEd UNC- CH
Charlotte, N. C.
Retired AP/ IB English teacher and
archivist. Author of “ Charlotte Country
Day School: The First Fifty Years.”
At WCU: President, Women’s House Government; vice
president, Student Senate; member, standards, student activities,
appropriations and student- faculty judiciary committees; staff,
Catamount and Western Carolinian; junior and senior counselor;
dean’s list, Alpha Phi Sigma; Marshals Club; May and
Homecoming courts; Who’s Who; Best College Citizen’s Awards.
Formerly: President of NCTE, Alpha Sigma chapter of Delta
Kappa Gamma, UNCC Women, PTA; NCTE Achievement Awards in
Writing; reader for the AP English Exam; member of Cum Laude
Honorary Society and the CCDS Honorary Alumni Association;
recipient of a CCDS Faculty Recognition Award and the J. R.
Williams Travel Fellowship to Ireland.
Currently: Member of Charlotte Symphony Women for
34 years; member of Mint Museum, First Presbyterian Church,
Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, WCU and UNC- CH
alumni associations.
Married to William M. Britt ’ 57 BS ’ 59 MEd UNC- CH ’ 67 EdD, UT.
Three children; two grandchildren.
Thomas J. “ Tom” Henson
’ 63 BSEd ’ 69 MAEd
Winston- Salem, N. C.
Retired teacher and coach ( football, baseball)
in Jackson, Wayne and Forsyth counties, N. C.
At WCU: Member, Student Senate; vice president,
Day Students; member, International Relations
Club, honor roll student.
Formerly: Member, Winston- Salem Chamber
of Commerce and North Davidson Chamber
of Commerce; ESL volunteer teacher, Davidson County
Schools; Spanish instructor, Davidson County deputies.
Currently: Member, WCU Catamount Club ( ICATS).
Married to Carol Shaw Henson’ 66 UNC- G ’ 72.
Edwin R. Holland
’ 75 BSBA
Charlotte, N. C.
Church administrator, Friendship
Missionary Baptist Church.
At WCU: President, Organization of Ebony Students;
Student Government Association.
Formerly: Member, WFAE ( University Radio
Foundation); 100 Black Men of America –
Charlotte chapter; board member, A Child’s
Place; board member, Friendship Trays.
Currently: Board member, McCrorey Family YMCA;
chairman, Mecklenburg County Personnel Commission;
member, National Association of Church Business
Administrators.
Married to Debbie Rembert Holland.
two children.
Clifton A. “ Cliff” Pickett
’ 68 BS ’ 76 MEd UNCG ’ 81 EdS ASU
Linwood, N. C.
Retired teacher and school administrator
in Davidson County.
At WCU: WCU Marching Band member 1964- 67,
trumpet; 1966, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.
Formerly: Gamma Epsilon, WCU alumni adviser 2001-
2003; member, Davidson County ARC 1991- 2000; board
member, N. C. ARC 1996- 98; board member, Catamount
Club 2002- 05.
Currently: Secretary and board member, Davidson
County Day Reporting Center 2000- present; member,
N. C. Credit Union board, Lexington branch 1996- 99,
2005- present; vice chairperson, WCU Family Association
2005- present; participant,
WCU Alumni Band, 2002- present.
Married to Jan Parnell- Pickett; one son, Joseph Pickett
’ 01 MHS ’ 07.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 24 University FALL 2007
Jesse R. Lankford Jr.
’ 69 BA ’ 73 MA ’ 87 MPA NCSU
Raleigh, N. C.
State archivist and records administrator, Department of Cultural
Resources; adjunct associate professor, public history graduate program,
N. C. State University.
At WCU: President, senior class; member, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity;
graduate assistant, department of history.
Formerly: Charter member, Academy of Certified Archivists; charter
member, Society of North Carolina Archivists; chair, scholarship committee,
State Employees’ Association of North Carolina, District 44, 2001- 05;
president, Eastern N. C. WCU Alumni Chapter, 1980- 81; member, executive
committee, WCU Alumni Board, 1993- 97; recipient, WCU Alumni Board
President’s Certificate of Appreciation, 1996; established the Linda Reep
Lankford Scholarship Fund for WCU education majors; recipient, Society
of North Carolina Archivists’ Thornton W. Mitchell Award 2006- 07 for
professional service; recipient, Governor’s “ Order of the Long Leaf
Pine” award for service to the state of North Carolina.
Currently: Member, Historical Society of North Carolina; member, N. C.
Literary and Historical Association; member, Society of N. C. Historians;
member, Phi Kappa Phi honor society ( N. C. State University chapter);
member, Pi Alpha Alpha honor society for public affairs and public
administration; archivist and historian for The Gardeners of Wake
County, 2002- 07; member, Council of State Archivists, 2003- 07.
J. Michael Naylor
’ 82 BSBA ’ 88 MBA
Raleigh, N. C.
Senior manager of human resources, Nortel.
Acting division chair, Saint Augustine’s College, manager- on- loan
from Nortel; lead team of 16 faculty and staff members.
At WCU: President, Organization of Ebony Students; senator, Student
Government Association; member, WCU Inspirational Choir; member,
Western Gold; resident assistant; member, Phi Beta Lambda.
Formerly: Building chair and finance officer for a $ 2 million building
project; coordinated pledge fundraiser campaign, 2001- 2003 ( raised
more than $ 250,000); secretary, vice president and president, N. C. Coop-erative
Education Association board of directors; secretary, vice president
and president, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Raleigh alumni chapter.
Currently: Treasurer, A. B. Combs Elementary School PTA, 2006- present;
member, steering committee, $ 6.3 million building project for Life
Community Church; executive director, Life Community Services, a
non- profit community outreach initiative, 2006- present; elder,
Life Community Church, Research Triangle Park, N. C.
Married to Shaun Berry Naylor ’ 86; one daughter, Kaileigh.
NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 3
( 3,382 WCU alumni): Bladen, Chatham, Columbus, Cumberland, Durham, Edgecombe,
Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Nash, Northampton,
Orange, Person, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Vance, Wake, Warren and Wilson counties.
( Vote for one. The top vote recipient will serve a three- year term, 2007- 10.)
Earl Crotts
’ 65 BSEd ’ 70 MAEd ’ 83 EdS
Southport, N. C.
Retired teacher and school administrator in Guilford County.
At WCU: Lettered in baseball, 1961- 1964.
Formerly: Member, WCU Alumni Board, 1970s and ’ 90s; coach,
American Legion Thoroughbred and Palomino baseball, 1966- 88;
president, Southport/ Oak Island Kiwanis Club, 2002- 03; Kiwanis lieutenant
governor, Division 26, 2005- 07; administrative board chair, Bessemer
Methodist Church; member, NCHSAA realignment committee, 1987- 92;
member, North Carolina Assessment Committee, 1983- 86; member,
Town of St. James planning committee, 2004- 05.
Currently: Member, Kiwanis Club, 1985- 2007; administrative board chair,
Trinity United Methodist Southport, 2004- 07; mentor, South Brunswick
Middle School, 2002- 07; member, WCU Dugout Club; member, WCU Loyalty
Fund, 1980s- present; member, WCU Catamount Club, 1970s- present.
Married to Julia Hall Crotts; two sons, Chuck and David ’ 99.
Keith M. Ramsey, MD
’ 73 BS ’ 77 MD UNC- Chapel Hill
Greenville, N. C.
Professor of medicine, the Brody School of Medicine
at East Carolina University.
At WCU: WCU Marching Band, 1969- 72; dorm representative,
1970- 71; Student Court, 1971- 72; chief justice, Student Court System,
1972- 73; president, WCU chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Formerly: Director of infectious diseases, University of South Alabama,
Mobile, Ala.; treasurer, Mobile Pops Band; co- founder of Dr. Donald
M. Ramsey Family Scholarship Fund, WCU department of biology.
Currently: Fellow, American College of Physicians; medical director
of infection control, Pitt County Memorial Hospital; member, N. C.
Public Health and Institutional Task Force for Best Practices.
Married to Ann- Marie Jung; three children.
NORTH CAROLINA DISTRICT 4
( 1,039 WCU alumni): Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck,
Dare, Duplin, Gates, Greene, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico,
Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Washington and Wayne counties.
( Vote for one. The top vote recipient will serve three- year terms, 2007- 10.)
John C. Anderson
’ 67 BA ’ 72 MAEd
Chapin, S. C.
Retired school and district administrator
in South Carolina.
At WCU: Member, Marching Band; member,
Concert Band; member, Jazz Band; member, Radio
Club; member, Pi Kappa Alpha.
Formerly: President, S. C. School Administrators
Association; president, S. C. High School League;
president, S. C. Secondary Principals Association;
president, S. C. Elementary Principals Association;
president, Chapin Ruritan Club; chairman, Chapin/
Irmo Relay for Life.
Currently: Deacon, Chapin Baptist Church, S. C.;
vice president, Chapin Rotary Club; co- coordinator,
Richland/ Lexington Special Olympics.
Married to Carol Stanislawski ’ 70; two sons.
OUT- OF- STATE
DISTRICT 5
( 15,300 WCU alumni). All states except North Carolina.
( Vote for one. The top vote recipient will serve a three- year term, 2007- 10.)
Board of Directors
Clifton P. Lambreth
’ 82 BSBA ’ 84 MBA
Brentwood, Tenn.
Manager, owners’ relations, Ford Motor Co.; chief
executive officer, Daniel Bradley Matthews Inc.;
public speaker and author.
At WCU: Member, Theta Xi fraternity; member,
Mortar Board Society; member, Western Gold;
member, SAGLA; part of mock United Nations
meetings ( represented Western regionally and
statewide); planned and helped organize School
of Business Week; graduate assistant, School of
Business; assisted on several PMI projects;
active in intramural sports, winning all- campus
in water polo, basketball and football; volunteer,
Special Olympic events for four years.
Formerly: Received five Ford Inuksuk Drive
for Leaders Awards and three Diversity
Leadership Awards.
Currently: Member, board of directors,
Family Foundation Fund; member, advisory
board, Lead Like Jesus Foundation; member,
advisory board, WCU College of Business.
Married to Susan Lambreth; three sons.
ELECTION 2007
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 25
Western will induct its 1949 championship football team
and a pair of 1950s graduates who had nationally recognized
coaching careers as the university holds its 18th Annual WCU
Athletics Hall of Fame ceremony Saturday, Nov. 17, prior to
the Catamounts’ football game with Southern Conference foe
Furman University.
The 1949 football squad will be the fourth WCU team to be
inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 1963 men’s basketball team,
the 1969 women’s basketball squad and the 1983 football unit
– all of which played in national championship games – were
enshrined in 2003.
Jim Garrison ’ 55 and Dave Bristol ’ 59 will be the first
recipients of the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame Career Achievement
Award. The new honor recognizes WCU graduates who have
distinguished themselves in athletics leadership positions.
The ’ 49 Catamounts won the North State Conference
championship, going unbeaten in league play and finishing
regular season play with an 8- 2 record. It was the first Western
football team to play in a postseason game – the Smoky
Mountain Bowl in Bristol, Va. Hall of Fame coach Tom Young
led the Catamounts to a sweep of conference rivals Appalachian
State, East Carolina and Lenoir- Rhyne and held them to a
combined 12 points. The team featured All- America lineman
Arthur “ Ott” Byrd ’ 50 and three other players – Dan Robinson
’ 50, Tommy “ Bromo” Selzer ’ 52 and Hugh “ Pee Wee”
Hamilton ’ 50 – who have been inducted into the WCU Athletics
Hall of Fame, and All- North Conference selections Hugh
Constance ’ 50, Ralph McConnell ’ 51 and Ralph “ Buffalo”
Humphries ’ 49.
Garrison transferred to Western from Gardner- Webb, then
a junior college, and played the 1953 and ’ 54 seasons for the
Catamounts as a halfback. He was an All- North Conference
selection and co- captain of the ’ 54 team. The native of
Weaverville became head football coach at Chowan College,
located in Murfreesboro, in 1958. He built that junior college
program into a national power and won 182 games in the
process, third all- time among the nation’s junior college coaches.
He is a member of four halls of fame – the National Junior
College Athletics Association, North Carolina Sports, Gardner-athletics
Jim Garrison ’ 55 Dave Bristol ’ 59
The Magazine of Western Carolina 26 University FALL 2007
Webb and Chowan. The football stadium at Chowan University
was named to honor Garrison’s career. He retired as
head coach after 43 seasons, but continues to serve as an
assistant football coach.
Bristol signed with the Cincinnati Reds in 1951 and was
an infielder in the Reds’ minor league system for 11 seasons,
including five as player/ manager. While playing and managing
during the ’ 50s, he completed his undergraduate degree
requirements to graduate from WCU in 1959. He won five league
championships in nine years as a minor league manager and
coached numerous future Major League All- Stars, including
Pete Rose and Tony Perez. Bristol became Major League
Baseball’s youngest manager at 33 when he was named the Reds’
field boss in 1966. After four seasons in Cincinnati, he managed
the Milwaukee Brewers ( 1970- 72), Atlanta Braves ( 1976- 77)
and San Francisco Giants ( 1979- 80). He later coached for the
Philadelphia Phillies and Reds before retiring in 1993. The
veteran of 42 years of professional baseball was elected to the
Western North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2000 and the
North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.
Steve White ’ 67, who retired as WCU’s sports information director
in 1998, is the new director of the Cats “ W” Club, an organization
for former Western student- athletes.
The 1949 Catamount football team
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 27
A few hours before he was introduced as Western’s 10th
baseball coach, Bobby Moranda felt the need to go for a run
across campus to help calm his nerves on a morning the
longtime Georgia Tech associate head coach compared to his
wedding day.
“ Man, there are some serious mountains around here,”
Moranda told a crowd of about 100 on hand for the
announcement. “ I’d like to climb some serious elevation with
our players and our team at Western. That’s why I came here. I
want to go to the College World Series. The mountains around
here symbolize what we want to do in college baseball, which is
to climb to the top of the mountain. I would not have come here
if I did not think we could go to Omaha.”
Moranda takes over from Todd Raleigh ’ 91 MAEd ’ 94,
who guided the Catamounts to a share of the 2007 Southern
Conference regular championship and an at- large bid to the
NCAA baseball tournament before being hired as head coach
at the University of Tennessee. Moranda has nearly 21 years
of coaching experience – 18 of them in the Atlantic Coast
Conference. He spent the past six seasons as associate head
and pitching coach at Georgia Tech, where he served a vital
role in recruiting.
“ The search for a head baseball coach has been very difficult
and very fulfilling,” Chip Smith, WCU director of athletics, said.
“ There was a large and qualified pool of candidates, which is
attributable to the respect in which Western Carolina’s program
is held throughout college baseball. The tradition of Catamount
baseball is the product of countless baseball alumni, as well as
the current team, who have built a program that is committed
to winning with integrity.”
Moranda said he is looking forward to building upon a
tradition began by Jack Leggett ( now at Clemson) and continued
by Leggett protégés Keith LeClair ’ 89, who coached at East
Carolina University before succumbing to Lou Gehrig’s disease
last summer; Rodney Hennon ’ 93, now leading SoCon rival
Georgia Southern; and then Todd Raleigh. “ I am excited about
Bobby becoming the head coach at Western. I have always
known him to be a hard worker and the teams where he has been
– be it Virginia, Wake Forest or Georgia Tech – have always won.
He understands the tradition of Western baseball, and Western
made a great choice,” Leggett said.
Catamount fans seeking additional confirmation Moranda is
the right man for the job may consider it a sign that his first- ever
NCAA Division I base hit came as a member of visiting Eastern
Kentucky, playing at Childress Field in 1985. It was a home run.
Western baseball backers are hoping Moranda hits a homer in
his first head coaching job, too.
Bobby Moranda fields questions from the crowd as
he is announced as WCU’s head baseball coach.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 28 University FALL 2007
If you’re looking for a way to escape the chill of mid- December
by visiting a tropical island paradise, the Catamount Club
has just the ticket – and you’ll get to see the Lady Catamount
basketball team play in a high- profile tournament at the
same time. Coach Kellie Harper and her defending Southern
Conference champions are heading for Hawaii in December to
play in the Paradise Classic, and fans can back the Lady Cats
while enjoying a 10- day dream excursion.
Bill Richter, Catamount Club executive director, and SMS
Tours have put together a nine- day, three- island excursion for
Catamount supporters who want to experience the best Hawaii
has to offer while they also cheer on the Lady Cats. “ I spent
several glorious years working for the athletics department at
the University of Hawaii, and I look forward to serving as a
tour guide for our folks who would like to have the vacation of
a lifetime at an extremely affordable cost,” said Richter.
The total package, priced at $ 2,000 per person, includes all
airfares and hotel accommodations. The excursion departs from
Charlotte on Sunday, Dec. 9, and returns on Tuesday, Dec. 18.
It includes two days ( Dec. 9- 10) on the “ Big Island” of Hawaii,
where the group will tour Volcanoes National Park and its two
active volcanoes ( Kilauea and Mauna Loa) and stay in the resort
village of Kona at the Royal Kona Hotel. The group then will fly
to Maui on Dec. 11 and the port of Lahaina and stay two nights
at the Royal Lahaina Hotel, before heading to Honolulu on Oahu
for five nights at the Waikiki Beach Hotel.
The Lady Cats will play in the Paradise Classic, set for
Dec. 14- 17, at the University of Hawaii. In addition to host
school Hawaii, also taking part will be Tennessee Tech and
Oregon State. For more information, call Bill Richter at ( 828)
227- 2530 or toll free at ( 800) 492- 8496. Space is limited and seats
will be sold on a first- come, first- served basis.
Plans are already under way to coordinate a visit next year
to Alaska when the WCU men’s basketball team will
participate in t Kellie Harper displays the 2006- 07 championship trophy he Great Alaska Shootout.
earned by the Lady Catamounts basketball team.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 29
Brad DeWeese ’ 97 MHS ’ 03 used to run about 50 miles a
week just to get to spend time with then- WCU track standout
Jenny Lind Warfford ’ 00 MAEd ’ 06. “ Whenever she would run
around campus, around Speedwell or along the river, I would
run with her,” DeWeese said.
Today, they still run together. Only now, Jenny Lind
Warfford is kindergarten teacher Jenny Lind DeWeese,
and Brad is not only her husband but also her coach as
she trains for her most daunting race yet – the 2008
U. S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Boston in April.
She runs the races, but they are a team. Brad, a
health and wellness faculty member and strength
conditioning coach at the University of North
Carolina at Asheville, designs her workouts and,
for a portion, runs or rides a bicycle to set the pace.
“ We use the time to just catch up because we’ve
both been at work,” he said before one of her daily
afternoon runs at the North Carolina Arboretum.
“ Sometimes we talk about racing and running,”
she said. “‘ When does this trail end?’ ‘ I thought we’d
be there by now.’ ‘ There’s another hill.’ Other times we
just talk about what we’re going to do.”
By Teresa Killian
The Magazine of Western Carolina 30 University FALL 2007
Jenny Lind DeWeese ’ 00 MAEd ’ 06 and
Brad DeWeese ’ 97 MHS ’ 03 run together
at the N. C. Arboretum near Asheville ( top
photos) and in big- city marathons
( below), keeping manufacturers of
shoes and awards busy.
“ It mostly involves food or running,” he said, and they laughed.
As a couple, they consider how everything from the vegetarian
meals they cook to the marathons they enter will best prepare
Jenny Lind to vie for the privilege to represent the United States
in Beijing in 2008.
“ Going to the Olympics has been my goal since I started
running,” said Jenny Lind, who grew up in Siler City. In seventh
grade, she was a regular at the pizza parties thrown for students
who could run the most laps. On a whim, she entered a track
meet later that year. “ I ran the mile. I walked part of it, and I still
won. I just kind of got hooked on running” said Jenny Lind, who
the next year started training with the high school track team.
Coach Danny Williamson ’ 84 MAEd ’ 86 recruited
her to Western. “ Out of high school, she wasn’t labeled
as a superstar, but while she was at WCU, she worked
herself to that status. Her commitment, discipline
and desire to be the best was her daily driving force,”
said Williamson. Her collegiate awards include
Southern Conference Championship honors in the
10,000- meters.
When she set her sights on the marathon, Brad,
who coached track and field at UNCA before moving
into a faculty position, started developing her training
schedules, which average 100 miles a week. He pulled
from what he learned at Western pursuing his bachelor’s
degree in athletic administration and exercise science and
his master’s degree in nutrition.
“ I grew up in a sports family and knew I wanted to be
a coach,” said Brad. Although a high school football injury
permanently affected his right arm – his throwing arm,
Western’s then- baseball coach, Keith LeClair ’ 89, saw Brad
had a lot to offer and brought him on as a student coach. His
coaching career has grown from there, though coaching his wife
is different from working with other athletes.
“ There’s less ‘ telling’ and more listening. I can’t take the coach
hat off and put the husband hat on,” he said. At each marathon,
he updates her along the way about competition and her pace,
and gets a read on how she’s feeling. “ I’m a nervous wreck,” he
said. “ I’m focused on her, and I’m constantly thinking, ‘ What is
she going through?’”
Pain. Unbelievable pain, says Jenny Lind. “ It starts to feel
like you are going to fall over with each step.” At Jenny Lind’s
first marathon in Memphis, Tenn., in 2005, she was the first
female to cross the finish line. “ It was a real shocker. I think
Brad had a heart attack,” Jenny Lind said. Her second was the
Boston Marathon in 2006, and third the LaSalle Bank Chicago
Marathon in 2006, where her time qualified her for the Olympic
trials. She ran a fourth in Nashville, Tenn., earlier this year and
will run one more before Boston.
“ Marathon takes a lot out of you. That’s why we wait between
events,” she said. “ I am still learning and consider myself a
beginner at this event. I just want to give it my best shot.”
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 31
Jimmy White ’ 92 has had an interest in
motorsports ever since he was 7 years old. In
fact, White would sometimes get caught by his
mother when he was watching a race instead of
studying for the occasional algebra test. Despite
his mother’s remarks that racing wouldn’t get
him anywhere, White was determined to
prove otherwise.
That resolve is what he needed to become
media relations director for Camp &
Associates Inc., a Concord- based motorsports
communication firm that works with several
NASCAR teams. “ This is what I wanted to do. I
didn’t have a desire to do anything else,” he said.
On the job, White does “ a little bit of
everything,” from talking with drivers after they
slam into turn three to writing press releases
detailing the races. Through working with the
Raybestos Rookie of the Year program and hanging around the
garage, he is on a first- name basis with many top drivers, such
as Juan Pablo Montoya, a world- recognized driver whom White
characterizes as an international celebrity. “ To be able to have
the opportunity to develop a professional working relationship
with someone like Montoya, that’s unbelievable to me,” he said.
Just how did White get his foot in the door of the racing
industry? While studying in the English program at Western,
White was required to do an internship, and he could think of no
better place than NASCAR’s Motor Racing Network. He called
and wrote to the radio network’s president and general manager
until he finally got a response. White, the first intern ever for the
company, was invited to Daytona Beach, Fla., where he resided
from Labor Day to mid- December. “ A lot of people then were
doing on- campus internships with the English department or
sports information. But here I am, this poor college student,
staying in an ocean- front hotel in Daytona,” he said. “ I thought
it’d be good to get out of the area and learn that way.”
After college, White worked on his family’s farm and did
odd jobs as he searched for employment. Determined to make a
career in racing, he volunteered his free time for Motor Racing
Network at various race tracks. He’d arrive at the tracks early
on Sunday mornings and head to the press box. While receiving
four to five press kits a week, White got the idea to use the kits
as networking tools. “ I’d get a contact name out of there and
send them a resumé. First thing you know, I’m up to 100 to 110
resumés. By the end of the year, I had my resumé in the right
hands,” he said.
White said he feels lucky to be working in racing. “ There’s
a limited amount of people that are in a position to do it. It’s
something the ‘ ordinary Joe’ doesn’t get the opportunity to do,
and I’m fortunate to do it,” he said. “ If it hadn’t been for the
internship, I wouldn’t be doing what I am now. I know that
for a fact.”
Internship Program Puts
Race Fan in Driver’s Seat
By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
Life in the Fast Lane
Jimmy White ’ 92 ( right) presents the Raybestos Rookie of the Race Award
to Juan Pablo Montoya.
Photo by David Griffin/ NASCAR Scene magazine
The Magazine of Western Carolina 32 University FALL 2007
Tyra Sitton ’ 03 MPA ’ 05 didn’t know understeer from
underwear when she started her public relations career with the
American Le Mans Series, a road racing and endurance series
based on the world- famous 24 Hours of Le Mans. Sitton admits
she was “ wide- eyed as a deer in the headlights during a baptism
by fire” in March 2006, when she found herself surrounded by
more than 100,000 fans and working with 400 members of the
news media at the 12 Hours of Sebring, one of the three largest
sports- car events on the planet.
“ This was my first time at any race track, much less one of the
biggest motorsports events in history. There were a lot of people
with just the race teams testing on the track, but then the fans
started coming, and they didn’t stop,” she said. “ There were
people everywhere, because the track opens to the public before
the green flag at each race. We literally had tens of thousands of
people on the actual race track, and I was in charge of making
sure they got off in time for the race to start.”
Among those people Sitton was in charge of shepherding to
safety was actor Patrick Dempsey from “ Grey’s Anatomy,” one
of her favorite television programs. “ Everything was happening
so fast I even told Dr. McDreamy to go to the wrong place at the
wrong time. The sad thing was, I didn’t know half of the drivers,
the cars they drove and the classes they raced in, and I was
charged with telling the announcer everything to say.”
Sitton and her co- workers now look back on her first week
and laugh. That’s because she quickly learned the ins and outs of
the sport to become a valued staff member. “ She used the skills
and expertise accumulated as a student and put them to work
in the world of motorsports,” said John Evenson, vice president
of communications and broadcasting, who studied at WCU
before transferring. “ What she starts she finishes, and in a very
professional and first- class manner.”
After less than a year on the job, Sitton was promoted to
director of public relations/ media services and promotions. Her
job now entails not only day- to- day media relations and media-driven
promotional activities, but also creating relationships
with national and international news media.
“ After graduating, I knew I wanted to find a job in public
relations where heavy travel was required. I’ve found exactly
what I wanted. Our schedule includes 12 races taking us
from the beaches of St. Petersburg, Fla., to the snow- capped
mountains of Salt Lake City, Utah, from bustling New York City
to beautiful Monterey, Calif., and everywhere in between,” she
said. “ Although I never banked on the long hours, the not- so-flattering
track wear and the unpredictable weather, I love every
aspect of my job. From writing for the Web site, to traveling and
meeting new people in new places all the time, I have found my
spot in the PR world.”
Alumna Shifts into High Gear
In American Le Mans Series
By BILL ST UDEN C
Tyra Sitton ’ 03 MPA ’ 05 races into action.
Photos courtesy of American Le Mans Series
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 33
Larry Hawkins ’ 96 works as general manager for the
Asheville Tourists baseball club, a job he loves in spite of the fact
that he once aspired to be a player rather than a businessman.
When an injury and other considerations put an end to his plans
to play in college, Hawkins put his plans for college on hold,
too. “ Once I realized I couldn’t play sports in college, I took a
landscaping job with my brother- in- law in Cashiers for a year,”
said Hawkins. “ I didn't know what I wanted to do.”
“ At the time, all I knew was that I loved sports, and all I
knew about sports was from the player’s side,” he said. “ But
Cheryl Contino- Conner ’ 88 at Southwestern Community
College pointed out careers in which I could stay in sports
in other ways.” Hawkins completed his first year at SCC and
then transferred to WCU. As part of the sports management
program, he interned at McCormick Field with owner and
then general manager Ron McKee. After graduation he
accepted a full- time position as stadium operations manager
with a club in Clearwater, Fla. Then in 1998, he got a phone
call from his mentor.
“ Ron called and asked if I wanted to come home,” Hawkins
said. “ It was an easy decision.” In his first job with the Tourists
baseball club, he was in charge of stadium operations and sales,
a position he held for two years. In 2000 he became assistant
general manager, working primarily in sales; then he was named
general manager in 2005.
According to Hawkins, life at the ballpark is varied,
interesting and sometimes time- consuming. “ On our home
game dates, we’ll work from 8 a. m. to as late as 1 a. m. the next
day,” he said. “ I love my job; the fun and hard work go hand in
hand. And how many people can say they go to a ballpark to
work every day? Besides being a player, it doesn’t get much
better than this.”
Story reprinted in edited form courtesy of Southwestern
Community College.
Alumnus Serves as General Manager
Of Asheville Tourists Baseball Club
Larry Hawkins ’ 96,
general manager of the
Asheville Tourists Baseball
Club, loves going to work
at McCormick Field. ( Photo
courtesy of Southwestern
Community College)
PROFESSIONAL TOURIST
Michael Paulk prepares to hit. ( Photo by Tony Farlow)
The Magazine of Western Carolina 34 University FALL 2007
Chances are good that you have heard Paul Turner’s voice on
a television or radio station and never realized you were listening
to a former WCU student who is one of the most sought- after
voice- over professionals in the country. Although Turner didn’t
graduate from WCU, he spent two years in Cullowhee studying
radio- television, and he gives tremendous credit to Western for
jumpstarting his career.
Turner became interested in broadcasting as a junior- high
student at Camp Laboratory School, when an assignment led
him to write a paper about a Catamount basketball announcer.
“ I got to sit beside him on press row at Reid Gymnasium,” he
said. “ It was like a dream come true. I had always been a huge
sports fan, but watching him do the play- by- play that one night
gave me that broadcasting bug immediately.”
As an eighth- grader, Turner was hanging around WWCU-FM,
Western’s student radio station. It wasn’t long before the
college students realized that the kid had plenty of talent even
at a young age, and allowed him to do live newscasts. By high
school, he was on the air at WWCU and WRGC- AM in Sylva.
Turner enrolled at Western in 1985 and began doing even more
work with WWCU.
“ You could call it a baptism by fire,” Turner said. “ Not every
campus radio station gives students the opportunity to actually
run the station. I did everything from newscasts to the morning
show to weekend interview shows. I think that is where I
definitely molded my radio skills, and I owe a lot to WCU for
that experience.”
By his junior year, Turner’s skills had caught the
attention of a Top 40 station in Asheville, and he was
hired to do the afternoon air shift and be the station’s
main commercial voice. The daily commute
proved too
difficult, so
he moved to
Asheville and
transferred to
UNC- Asheville.
Two years later,
he took a job
in Tampa, Fla.,
first as the main
imaging voice
at an adult
contemporary
station, and
later at a Top 40
station. His career took him next to
Detroit, where he did voice work for other radio stations
on the side. “ Before long, I was the main voice on about
10 large market radio stations, including Kansas City and
Cincinnati,” he said.
The ultimate job opportunity came in 1991 when
Turner was hired to be Infinity Broadcasting Group’s
main voice- over talent. One of Infinity’s stations was WXRK
in New York, home to an up- and- coming morning show disc
jockey named Howard Stern. Turner began doing voicework for
Stern’s show and the two become instant friends. Soon, Stern’s
immensely popular program was syndicated and Turner’s voice
was heard from coast to coast. Turner called working with Stern
the best break of his career.
He left Infinity Broadcasting in 1997 to launch his own
voice- over company, Paul Turner Productions, collecting an
impressive client list that includes NFL Films, CNN, FOX, NBC,
CBS, ABC, ESPN, Major League Baseball and Monday Night
Football. Mark Chernoff, vice president of sports for CBS Radio
and operations manager for New York’s WFAN, a pioneer of
sports radio, has been working with Turner for 15 years. “ When
I need a message delivered on the air, it’s Paul’s voice that breaks
through the clutter,” Chernoff said. “ He’s the best there is.”
Turner is now giving something back to the place where he got
his start, contributing vocal work for the introduction and for
opening and closing sponsor announcements for the Catamount
Sports Network, said Daniel Hooker ’ 01, WCU assistant athletic
director for media relations.
Jeff Bryson is a familiar voice to Western sports fans, as he has
worked as the public address announcer at the Catamount’s home
football games since 1998.
TURNER, BROADCASTING By JEFF BRYSON
I got to sit on press row at
Reid Gym. I had always been a
huge sports fan, but watching
the play- by- play that night
gave me that broadcasting
bug immediately.
– Paul Turner
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 35
After four interviews with Johnson & Johnson, Errol Kilgore
’ 99 didn’t get the temporary “ college overhire” position for
which he and hundreds of applicants interviewed. Instead,
a Johnson & Johnson company surprised Kilgore with an
offer for a permanent, full- time job in Winston- Salem as a
pharmaceutical representative.
“ A week after I walked across the stage at graduation, they
called to offer me the position. My mom and grandmother were
sitting in the living room, and I was jumping up and down with
excitement,” said Kilgore. “ I was the first person in my family to
graduate from college, and I was going to work for a Fortune 500
company. I was elated.”
Eight years later, Kilgore’s career continues to be peppered
with accolades, national awards including “ Rookie of the Year”
and “ Sales Excellence,” and promotions that recently landed him
in the Chicago area as a district manager for Johnson & Johnson
company PriCara.
His first job as a pharmaceutical representative gave him
experience calling on health care professionals to talk about
appropriate use and insurance coverage of medications. He
saw his role as an educator about the difference that medical
innovations can make and as a representative of those who
worked to develop the innovations. “ About a dozen times, people
who I have never met have literally come up to me after seeing
the name of a drug on my bag
and thanked me,” said
Kilgore. “ It made me
feel good to know
that the medications and devices that I represented helped
people who had debilitating conditions be able to do common
activities like cooking and walking again – activities that we
often take for granted.”
Kilgore then moved into a job as an account specialist for a
medical device division of Johnson & Johnson. He introduced
gastroenterologists to a new capsule camera that allowed
patients to swallow a capsule, about the size of a large vitamin
pill, that had a camera inside. His success led to another
promotion as market development manager before Kilgore
accepted a job at another Johnson & Johnson company as
a Chicago- area based district manager supervising eight
pharmaceutical representatives.
“ I have an appreciation to WCU for equipping me with
the skills to be successful,” said Kilgore. At Western, Kilgore
majored in industrial distribution and was active with Alpha Phi
Alpha fraternity, student retention initiative Project C. A. R. E,
the Black Educational Support Team and the Inspirational
Choir. Kilgore received the 1999 Henry Lewis Suggs Award, the
university’s highest and most prestigious cultural diversity and
humanitarian award.
“ I used to hear the saying, ‘ If you love what you do then you’ll
never work a day in your life,’” he said. “ Although it would be an
exaggeration to say that I don’t feel like I’m working, I can truly
say that I enjoy my career.”
MEDICAL BEST SELLER
By TERESA KILLIAN Achi evements
alumni
Errol Kilgore ’ 99 takes in the Chicago skyline.
Photo by Raishon Lewis Photography The Magazine of Western Carolina 36 University FALL 2007
Although work and family responsibilities prevented Kathy
Lance from completing her degree in business in 1977, that
certainly hasn’t stopped the Waynesville woman from finding
success in the insurance industry. The owner of the L. N.
Davis Co. and the third generation of her family to run the
agency, Lance is winding up a term this fall as president of the
Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina.
Lance is the first woman in the history of the organization
elected as its president. She is following in the footsteps of her
father, Paul L. Davis, in more ways than one as he served as
president of IIANC in 1958, when Lance was only 4 years old.
For more than 40 years until his death in 1990, Davis managed
the insurance agency founded in 1933 by Lance’s grandfather,
Lawson Newton Davis.
In addition to holding several offices and serving on numerous
committees for IIANC, a professional trade association
representing independent insurance agencies across the state,
Lance also is active in her community and church, currently
serving on the Haywood County Schools Foundation and Laurel
Community Children Choir boards. She is a past president of
the Haywood County Insurance Women, the Greater Haywood
County Chamber of Commerce and REACH of Haywood
County, former member of the Haywood Community College
Foundation Board, and a former leader with the Pisgah Girl
Scout Council.
As members of the IIANC, Lance and husband Gary Lance
’ 80 have been key figures in helping launch the Independent
Insurance Agents of North Carolina Scholarship Fund in WCU’s
College of Business, said Jim Manring ’ 74 MBA ’ 76. “ Kathy
and Gary have been among the most active and loyal supporters
of Western,” Manring said. “ Kathy is a former president of the
Catamount Club, and together they have jointly and effectively
served as formal and informal chairs of the Haywood County
alumni chapter efforts for many years. Western is fortunate to
have alumni, friends and supporters like Kathy and Gary Lance.”
Initiated in 1997 with a gift of $ 50,000 and supplemented by
additional contributions over the years, the IIANC scholarship
fund now tops $ 100,000. “ We are very appreciative for the
CHANGE AGENT
By BILL ST UDEN C
dedication of the independent agents to the educational process
and the assistance this provides to our students,” said Leroy
Kauffman, former dean of the College of Business. “ Since its
inception, we have provided $ 21,900 in scholarships to 21
students. We are very grateful to the Independent Insurance
Agents of North Carolina for their support in providing an
excellent education for our students.”
Achi evements
Insurance executive Kathy Lance runs the family business.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 37
FAITHFUL
COMPANION
By TERESA KILLIAN
Campus Minister Shares Talents
Statewide After Retirement
The Rev. Wanda Kidd ’ 77 sees a lot of optimism and
eagerness to make a difference in the young adults she meets
through campus ministry at WCU. Then, as Kidd gets to
know the students, she notices their talents and strengths,
and makes a point to tell them individually what she sees
in them. “ Young adults need to know they have value and
purpose,” said Kidd. “ Helping them know what they can do
– empowering them – is a big part of what we are about.”
That practice is one that Kidd, who retired this summer
after 13 years with WCU’s Baptist Student Union, will share
statewide as college ministry consultant for the Cooperative
Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina.
Only about a dozen Southern Baptist women were
ordained ministers when Kidd was a home economics
student at Western in the 1970s, and she credits professors
at Western for helping her see that she, too, could be
one of them. After learning of Kidd’s interest, one of her
professors, Wilma Cosper, encouraged her to research the
topic of women ministers for her senior seminar project.
Kidd returned unable to find much information when, to
her amazement, Cosper opened a file of brochures and
articles she had collected on the subject. “ Dr. Cosper was
a big part in giving validity to my interest in becoming a
woman minister,” said Kidd. Then- campus minister at the
Baptist Student Union, Joe David Fore, also supported her.
“ Of course you can do this,” Kidd said he told her.
Kidd earned her master’s degree in divinity from
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a doctorate
of ministry from Drew Theological Seminary. She was
ordained in 1983 and returned to Cullowhee, where she
worked as an intern and staff member at area churches.
Kidd launched what has grown into the Jackson County
Christmas Store, a program that helps families that need
financial assistance purchase gifts. Members of the WCU
community support the program annually through the
Angel Tree initiative.
In the Baptist Student Union’s small sanctuary decorated
with framed messages such as “ We all grow better in
sunshine and love” and “ Peace be with you,” Kidd says her
relationships with students are what she will miss most.
And, she will be missed, says Melissa Calhoun, a junior
from Lexington and co- president of the BSU. “ When she
shakes your hand and says, ‘ Hi! I’m Wanda Kidd! Where
are you from?’ there’s something about the way she looks at
you that makes you feel she’s sincerely glad to meet you and
interested in getting to know you,” said Calhoun. “ I love
Wanda. She has a heart for students. She really cares about
them. She knows them.”
Retired Baptist Student
Union minister
Wanda Kidd ’ 77
isn’t slowing down.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 38 University FALL 2007
alumni
Achi evements
Clifton Lambreth ’ 82 MBA ’ 84 realized he might be sending
his 23- year career with Ford Motor Company into the proverbial
ditch with the June release of his book, “ Ford and the American
Dream: Founded on Right Decisions,” but instead of being
ousted, Lambreth was invited to lunch by the automaker’s chief
executive officer.
A retail marketing manager for Ford, Lambreth set about
writing his critique of the auto giant after news of a potential
bankruptcy came out in December 2006. In his fictional
account, the main character, who happens to be a Western
graduate, is transported back in time to the
early 20th century and dines with Henry
Ford at the company founder’s Michigan
residence, Fairlane Manor. The two
discuss the problems ailing the once- great
automaker, and how to get it back on the
right road.
Lambreth sent the first copy of the book
to come off the press to Ford’s top officer,
Alan Mulally.
“ I firmly believe that Ford can and will
return to the vision and principles the
company was founded on,” Lambreth said.
“ When I got a call from headquarters, I
braced for what destiny had in store. The call
was from Mulally himself. He said he loved
the book and that it illustrated the best turn-around
recovery plan he had ever read, and he
invited me for lunch.”
The two met for lunch at – where else?
– Fairlane Manor. “ Just for a second, I could imagine Henry Ford
was there with us, smiling,” Lambreth said. “ Mulally was keenly
receptive to openly discussing issues facing the company.”
Lambreth has been consistently recognized as a top performer
during his tenure with Ford. Armed with his two business
administration degrees from WCU, he went to work for the
automaker in 1984 as a customer service representative.
Now, in addition to his duties at Ford, Lambreth serves
as chief executive officer of Daniel Bradley Matthews Inc.,
a marketing consulting firm that serves country
music artists and nonprofit fundraising
organizations. He also serves on the advisory board of
Western’s College of Business and on the boards for the
Family Foundation Fund and Lead Like Jesus Foundation. A
competitive runner and veteran of several marathons, Lambreth
lives with his wife and three sons in Brentwood, Tenn.
“ Ford and the American Dream” was published by Executive
Books of Mechanicsburg, Penn., with Mary Calia and Melissa
Webb as co- authors, and art by Igor Babailov.
For more information about Lambreth’s book, go to
www. TheFordBook. com.
AUTO DETAILING
Ford Motor Company Executive
Pens Fictional Look at Automaker
By RAN DALL HOL COMBE
Clifton Lambreth ’ 82 MBA ’ 84 is author of a book
about the Ford Motor Co.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 39
The old saying “ a bad day fishing is
better than a good day at the office”
doesn’t apply to Sylva native Josh
Stephens ’ 00. That’s because for the
criminal justice major, the office IS
the nearest fishing hole. A member
of the United States Fly Fishing Team
– yes, there is such a thing – Stephens
fishes every chance he gets, and also
competes in tournaments around
the world.
Of the 15 members of the U. S.
team, Stephens is one of the youngest.
He was offered a spot by Coach Jack Dennis, who in 2005 was
a commentator for the “ Best of the West” casting competition.
Stephens won the tournament’s qualifying round with a cast of
102 feet, 9 inches, and was automatically eligible for the finals in
Salt Lake City, Utah. While off- camera in Utah, Dennis invited
Stephens to Redmond, Ore., to try out.
Stephens reeled in the big one – a place on the team. This
past June, Stephens and seven other U. S. teammates traveled to
Finland to compete in the 27th FIPS- Mouché World Fly Fishing
Championships. “ Each person has his own style of fishing he’s
good at,” he said. “ I was chosen for Finland because it’s big water,
nymph fishing ( under the surface). I’m better at that.”
After several practice days adjusting to conditions and
preparing flies, the team was a strong competitor against squads
from 24 other countries, placing sixth overall and beating its
personal record of 10th from the previous year in Portugal.
Stephens has participated in other competitions, including the
televised 2001 ESPN2 Great Outdoor Games in Spruce Creek,
Pa.; the 2002 Great Outdoor Games in Vail, Colo.; and the
2003 Teva Mountain Games in Vail, Colo. He hosted a regional
tournament in Cherokee in August, and in October hopes to
compete in a national championship in Boulder, Colo. Recently,
Stephens has started focusing on dry- fly fishing, a different style
than he’s used to, to prepare for next year’s world championships
in New Zealand.
While he’s not practicing with the team or fishing the
Tuckaseigee and Nantahala rivers, Stephens keeps busy with
his erosion control and container business in Robbinsville. He
began working at Highland Hikers in Cashiers, which proved
to be helpful during his college days in a fly fishing class for a
physical education elective. “ It was a casting class, and most of
it was in the physics part of casting,” Stephens said. “ The whole
instructing thing had already been introduced to me at Highland
Hikers, so I ended up teaching half of the class.”
Stephens has worked with Wit’s End Ranch in Durango, Colo.,
for four years, guiding and taking high- country fly fishing trips.
For more than a year, he trained people to instruct safety classes
while at the North Carolina Wildlife Commission, but decided
the job just wasn’t the right match for him. “ There is no way I can
wear a tie and a military- pressed shirt and the shiny shoes every
day,” Stephens said. “ It was great, but it was not me.”
CASTING CALL
Grad Lands Spot on U. S. Fly Fishing Team
By JESSI CA CRE GGER ’ 07
Members of the U. S. fly fishing team are ( from right),
Josh Stephens ’ 00, Lance Egan, Brian Capsay,
George Daniel, Anthony Naranja and Jim Hickey.
Josh Stephens ’ 00
Nordic Pro Fly Fishing
Courtesy of Brian Capsay
The Magazine of Western Carolina 40 University FALL 2007
alumni
Achi evements
MAKING THE NEWS
By JOHN KENYON
Most people do not remember the exact date when they chose
their career path, but Leighton Grant ’ 03 does – Sept 11, 2001.
“ Watching the coverage of 9/ 11 made me decide I wanted to
go into news,” said Grant. “ It made me realize how powerful
news could be.”
Grant has proven to be a powerful news photographer in his
short career. This year alone, he received two regional Emmy
Awards and three Associated Press Awards for his work with
WLOS News 13, the ABC affiliate in Asheville.
He won a “ Best Feature” Emmy for the package “ Magic Man,”
a story about Ricky Boone, a magician in Weaverville who was
born with a rare bone disease and has been in a wheelchair his
whole life. Boone owns a magic store and is an inspiration to
others through his shows and uplifting attitude, said Grant.
The second Emmy was for his coverage of the funeral of Mitch
Carver, a U. S. Army pilot killed when his reconnaissance
helicopter crashed near Mosul, Iraq.
Collecting a pair of regional Emmy Awards in a single year
would be a lifetime achievement for most news photographers,
but Grant also claimed three Associated Press awards – “ Best
Photography in North Carolina,” “ Best Feature” and “ Honorable
Mention Spot News.”
Although Grant didn’t decide to pursue a career in news
until the Sept. 11 tragedies, he always knew he was going into
the video business. “ While still a student, Leighton purchased
a professional- grade camera and video- editing software and
was working freelance, shooting sports footage and selling
it to television stations,” said Donald Connelly, acting head
of the department of communication. “ He had style and
professionalism you don’t often find in a student.”
Grant remembers working in the field on a video project at
Western as a pivotal experience toward his career. “ You got to
use the equipment and get out there with the burden of having a
project with a deadline,” he said. “ If you have the self- motivation
and drive to tell a story, WCU has the resources to visually
capture stories. Students are using the same equipment that is
industry- standard for local news.”
His professors say they saw his talent early on. “ I knew
Leighton was going to be successful because he had an incredible
thirst for knowledge and wanted to be involved in everything,”
said Connelly. Padraig Acheson, director of studio operations for
WCU’s department of communication, agreed. “ I clearly recall
his desire to learn and excel, and was impressed with his self-taught
ability to shoot and edit video,” Acheson said.
“ Shortly after college, he landed a position with WBTV,
the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, an incredibly good start for
a beginner. In a very short time, he has become a principle
photographer and satellite news- gathering truck operator for
WLOS with numerous awards under his belt,” said Acheson.
That’s a wrap on a pretty good y Leighton Grant ’ 03 accepts an Emmy Award. ear for Leighton Grant.
FALL 2007 The Magazine of Western Carolina University 41
1964
In February, Wesley Hill MAEd,
superintendent of the Demopolis
( Ala.) City School System, received
the Demopolis Chamber of
Commerce lifetime award for his
27- year commitment to advancing
the level of learning and success
of the community. “ Much of Hill’s
success can be based on the tenet
he subscribes to in his career: ‘ Make
a difference every day,’” said Alex
Braswell, chairman of the chamber’s
board. “ I never really expected or
thought about wining the award,”
said Hill. “ This is kind of like my
Super Bowl.”
1972
Lynn Hotaling MAEd ’ 79
( above right), editor of The Sylva
Herald, won the 2007 N. C. Bar
Association Media and the Law
Award in the non- daily division.
Judging for the awards is based
on accurate, informative coverage
of law- related issues that fosters
greater public understanding of
the legal system and the role of
lawyers in society. Hotaling won the
award for her article “ Judge Rules
for Airport Authority in Suit Against
County.” “ Lynn has worked hard to
provide balanced news coverage
for the past 11 years,” said Herald
Publisher Steve Gray. “ I think this
award is more evidence of her
commitment and hard work.”
1974
Mickey Pettus recently was
promoted to vice president of
supply chain custom services at
VHA Inc. in Irving, Texas. VHA Inc.
is a health care provider alliance
of more than 2,400 not- for- profit
health care organizations. With
more than 32 years of experience
in the health care industry, Pettus
has held key leadership roles
with Owens and Minor, Abbott
Laboratories, Whittaker General
Medical and Baxter Travenol
Laboratories. He operated his
own consulting business for
supply chain services following
his 2003 retirement from Abbott
Laboratories.
Assistant professor of public
relations at Lee University in
Cleveland, Tenn., Patty Silverman
received a Jean Ritchie Fellowship
of more than $ 20,000 from the
Appalachian College Association,
which funded research for
her dissertation, “ Persuasion
Strategies, Motivational Factors
and Obstacles: Influences in the
Evolutional Transition from Public
Relations Practitioner to Professor.”
Silverman’s research included
interviews with faculty who have
transitioned from PR practitioners
to PR faculty and included
Western’s own Debra Connelly,
a communication faculty member
since 2000. A teacher at Lee since
2000, Silverman has 20 years of
public relations experience. She
received her doctorate in May from
the University of Tennessee.
1976
Don Leonard, co- owner of
Crown Sport Sales Inc., recently
was elected president of the
Sporting Goods Agents Association,
an organization of independent
sporting goods sales agents in the
United States. He and his partner
in Richmond, Va., started the
business in 1988. Leonard and wife
Joanna Leonard MAEd live in
Mooresville and have two children
and two grandchildren.
1982
In May, Oliver P. Walker ( above)
was appointed vice president
of operations for Covenant
Retirement Communities Inc. in
Chicago, where he implements
special program initiatives to
assure the performance and
quality improvement of CRC’s
14 continuing- care retirement
communities that serve 5,000
residents nationwide. With 20 years
of experience in the health care
industry, Walker has worked in both
acute- care and aging services.
1984
Col. Larry “ Pepper” Jackson
recently assumed his first command
as a full colonel in South Korea, his
first assignment there. Most recently
he attended the Naval War College
in Newport, R. I. He began his career
as an armor officer, serving in the
first Gulf War as an armor company
commander. He later served as
commander of the 4th Infantry
Division’s 3rd Battalion, 66th Armor
Regiment during Operation Iraqi
Freedom. Jackson and his wife have
a son and a daughter.
1985
In February, Amanda J. Mesler
was appointed North American
chief executive of LogicaCMG, an
information technology and business
process outsourcing, systems
integration and business consulting
company. Mesler is responsible
for developing and executing the
company’s growth strategy in
the North American market. In
her 22- year career, she has held
senior positions at EDS, where she
headed the global energy industry
group; Bearing Point, where she
was partner and managing director
of the oil and gas practice; and
General Electric, where she was
Asia Pacific market manager. Most
recently she was vice president of
strategy and organization design at
SYSCO, a food service marketer
and distributor. She lives in Houston
with her husband and three children.
The Magazine of Western Carolina 42 University FALL 2007
When nearly 200 former members of the Western
marching band and other musical ensembles gather on campus
in November for the annual WCU Alumni Band weekend,
they might as well plan on being greeted at the door by
Bob Buckner ’ 67, with membership applications for “ Partners
for Pride” in hand.
Buckner, WCU’s director of athletics bands, is among the
organizers of the new alumni band group that is designed to help
support Western’s bands and student musicians. The nascent
organization, which is currently working on finalizing its bylaws
and getting other housekeeping matters in order, is looking to
the weekend of Nov. 16- 17 to officially launch Partners for Pride.
The weekend will begin Friday, Nov. 16, with the annual
Marching Band Concert held in the Ramsey Regional Activity
Center. The 7 p. m. concert by the Pride of the Mountains
Marching Band will include the band’s 2007 pre- game and
halftime shows, with special performances highlighting each
of the band’s musical sections. A reception for band members
– past and present – alon